Regalia High
by Tytonic
Summary: (The Underland Chronicles high school AU) Gregor and co are all everyday high school students trying to get by. They face many life problems, such as rivals, drama, romance, etc. . . Will this high school change them for better or worse? (Gregor x Luxa) (Ares x Aurora) (Angelina x Larry) (Lizzy x Hazard) (Howard x OC)
1. Chapter 1: Jinxed

** Hello people of Fanfiction! If you don't know who I am, my name is Tytonic and I write mainly for The Underland Chronicles. I highly suggest you check out my other stuff, I think most of you will like it. This story is a concept I have seen many times, but I have failed to see it for this book series. So, any and all feedback is encouraged and appreciated, See ya'll later! Enjoy!**

**See you guys later,**

**-Tytonic**

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**Warning: This story is a high school AU. If you fail to understand, look it up.**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Underland Chronicles, only the characters I make up and the plot itself.**

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**Regalia High**

**Chapter 1: Jinxed**

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BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

Gregor Groaned as his alarm clock blared in his ear. Reaching over, Gregor hit the snooze button on the alarm, and allowed himself to drift off, right back to sleep.

BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

Gregor's eye twitched in annoyance. Reaching over, he whacked the off button, and rolled out of bed, crashing into the floor. With reluctant movements, he slowly pulled himself to his feet, where he proceeded to stretch, causing cracks and pops to come from his stiff joints.

Walking over to his mirror, he inspected himself in order to see how crappy he appeared. Looking like a total mess, Gregor waked to the bathroom. Turning on the hot water, Gregor began to scrub himself down, in hope of improving his appearance. After his soothing shower, Gregor walked back into his room to discover that his alarm clock was screaming at him, again.

Gregor sighed, and mumbled under his breath, "Freaking thing never works right. . ."

Gregor trotted over to the wall, and yanked the clocks plug out. It was the only way to get the thing to shut up, aside from smashing it. As good as smashing it sounded, he needed it to wake him up for school on time.

"School, school, crap! Today's the first day of school!" Gregor panicked, as he began to throw on cloths. "Don't want to be late on my first day; really want to stay on the teachers good side this year."

Tying his shoes on, Gregor sprang up, and ran downstairs to grab some breakfast. Popping a piece of toast in the toaster, Gregor sat patiently on the counter, waiting for it to pop out. As he was waiting, he heard a crashing and tumbling noise, and watched as his six year old sister, Boots, tumbled out from the staircase. A few seconds later, his twelve year old sister, Lizzie, stepped down the last step.

Lizzie walked over to Gregor, leaving boots lying on the floor. "Are you ready for school?"

As Lizzie was speaking this sentence, the toast popped out, and Gregor shoved the whole thing in his mouth. Gregor looked back to Lizzie once he had it in the toast in his mouth. "Hmm? rreay ahh Ia'll evea ee."

Lizzie rolled her eyes at Gregor, and began to chuckle as she realized that boots had fallen asleep on the floor. It wasn't a problem for boots, since she was in kindergarten and it didn't start for another few hours. Lizzie, however, was a different story. She was far smarter than he average twelve year old, and she had skipped from sixth grade all of the way to tenth, so she was in the same grade as Gregor.

It constantly got on his nerves, how she could outsmart him at almost anything. The only thing that he could really beat her at was video games, and anything physical. Oh, and you can;t forget eating; he could eat a horse and still be hungry.

Swallowing his food, Gregor decided to ask Lizzie a question, "You nervous? Your only twelve, it might be a bit difficult for you, you know, tenth grade and all."

Lizzie glared at him. "You know I'll be fine. Your fine, and we both know I'm smarter than you."

Gregor chuckled for a few moments before responding, "True, but that's not what I meant." Lizzie gave him a questioning look. "I mean the actual grade. We're all sixteen and seventeen, and your only twelve. It might get a bit rouge for you."

"Well if it does, I'll be fine. Should something happen, you'll be there anyway." She replied.

"How do you know that? We haven't gotten our schedules yet, and won't until we get too school." He countered.

Lizzie took the other piece of toast out of the toaster, and began to nibble on it. "Mom requested that we have all of the same classes together, just in case."

"Oh." Gregor replied.

His mom wasn't home at the moment. She had to get up very early in order to go to work. Ever since two years ago, when his dad had gone missing, his mom had been hard-pressed on making enough money to keep the family going.

"So, are you nervous?" Lizzie asked. When Gregor shook his head she replied, "What about that girl? Luxa, was it?"

Gregor just looked at Lizzie in amusement. "You think I could like _her_? She way is too full of herself. I admit, she is pretty, but definitely not my type."

Lizzie rolled her eyes and laughed. "Whenever you talk to her, your always bickering. It's so bluntly obvious that you like her."

Gregor turned and began to walk out he door. "I'm not taking dating advice from my twelve year old sister."

Lizzie rolled her eyes, again, and walked out the front door. She had to run slightly to catch up to Gregor, since he was a foot and a half taller than her and took larger steps. Once she had caught up, she paced herself beside him. It took but a few minutes to get to larry's house. When they were in front of it, they waited for a minute or two, ignoring the crashing sounds coming from within the house.

After another thirty seconds, the door shot open, and Larry sprinted out, panting slightly. "Sorry guys, couldn't find one of my shoes. Dog put it in the flower pot." This earned a few chuckles from Gregor and Lizzie.

Larry didn't question why Lizzie was going to school with them, because he already knew, however much he disliked the idea. He didn't like having a twelve year old around who was smarter than him.

After a few more minutes, Gregor, Larry, and Lizzie came too Angelina's house. Unlike Larry's house, there was no crashing noises coming from within. Neat and tidy, Angelina came strolling out. She gave everybody a hug before greeting them. Gregor couldn't help but notice that the hug she gave him was slightly longer and more intimate. It was common knowledge that Angelina liked Gregor, she had since 6th grade, when they first met. The thing is, Angelina didn't know that her feelings were common knowledge.

She also happened to be convinced that Gregor liked her back, but that he was to scared to ask her out. Because of this, she would drop hints like crazy, and get confused when he ignored them.

Gregor was the only person that knew, but Larry really liked Angelina. Normally, he would be mad at Gregor for getting in the way, but he knew that Gregor didn't like her. Many people also happened to think that Gregor was gay, because he never asked a girl out. He knew he wasn't gay, and he ignored the insults. It was just that he had never found a girl that he liked. He did think that Stellovet, one of the popular girls, was really pretty, but she had a really bad personality, and already had a lot of boys lusting after her.

Aside from her, who he wouldn't ask out, even if she was lusting after him, there were no girls he liked. There was Luxa, but they would always fight when they talked, which was not common, and he hardly liked her in any way, aside from her looks, which were better than average, but not _that _pretty.

As Gregor and his friends finally arrived at the school, they were just on time. Walking in, they all discovered that they had the same home room. They had neglected telling each other who's home room they had until now. Perhaps they just forgot.

As they all went into home room, Gregor looked at everybody, seeing if he knew any of them. The only people he recognized were Luxa (it just had to be her, didn't it?), Aurora (Luxa's best friend), Henry (Luxa's dickhead cousin), Ares (Henry's best friend), and Howard. Gregor disliked everyone of them, save Aurora, who he didn't know enough about to judge. Howard seemed as bad as Henry, hardly enough to judge him, but enough nonetheless.

Gregor took a seat in the very back, along with the rest of his friends. Luxa and her friends, all the most popular kids in the school, took seats on the very back as well, albeit on the other end of the row.

It took a few minutes for the teacher, Mr. Vikus, to enter the room. As he entered, everybody instantly took their seat. Mr. Vikus was a very nice teacher, and one of the most respected. Because of this, very few people were mean to him, or broke rules around him.

The very first thing he did was walk around and assign seats. Gregor's heart sank when all of his friends were placed in the front right, while he was in the very back left.

_Can't get much worse than this._ He thought. His heart sank even farther when all of Luxa's friends, got placed around him, and Luxa got placed right next to him.

_Just had to jinx it, didn't I?_

With his luck, he will have Luxa next to him in all of his classes. No, that was far to unlikely. _I just jinxed it again. Great, now I'm gonna. I really need to stop with this jinxing thing._

This was going to be a long year.

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** I hope you guys liked the chapter. This is an iffy idea, the whole high school thing. Well I really like the idea myself, and I'm gonna stick with it. I know Vikus's name wouldn't be Mr. Vikus, but as far as we know, underlanders might not even have last names, so what was I suppose to do? I have a lot of plans for this story, so look out for another chapter sometime soon! So, as usual all feedback is encouraged and appreciated, so give me any and all ideas! See you guys later!**

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**Question: What do you think the main conflict will be in this story?**

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**See you peeps later,**

**-Tytonic**


	2. Chapter 2: Gonna be a Long Year

**Hello guys, and welcome back! Thank you all, last chapter got a lot of positive feedback, and in only a days time. Sadly, nobody got the question from last chapter, and as of now I will not reveal the answer. All in due time, all in due time. So, as always ****any and all feedback is encouraged and appreciated, See ya'll later! Enjoy!**

**See you guys later,**

**-Tytonic**

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**Attention: This is not the book's plots converted to another universe, so the events will not all match those in the book.**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Underland Chronicles, only the characters I make up and the plot itself.**

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**Regalia High**

**Chapter 2: Gonna be a long Year**

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_Can't get much worse than this._ He thought. His heart sank even farther when all of Luxa's friends, got placed around him, and Luxa got placed right next to him.

_Just had to jinx it, didn't I?_

With his luck, he will have Luxa next to him in all of his classes. No, that was far to unlikely. _I just jinxed it again. Great, now I'm gonna. I really need to stop with this jinxing thing._

This was going to be a long year.

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**-O-**

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As home room came to a close, Gregor let out a breath that he hadn't even know he was holding. Luxa and her friends hadn't bothered him at all. They had looked at him a few times, and he could tell they talked about him some, but nothing to serious. As long as they didn't talk to him, he was fine.

Checking over his schedule one last time, Gregor discovered that he had history first. He also discovered that his locker number was 537, located right next to his home room.

_Of all things, I have to have history first? Seriously? Why not math or something? Well, at least my locker is next to home room, so I don't have to worry as much about being late every morning._ He thought.

Finally, after a decent sized lecture, the home room got dismissed. Before his first class, history, Gregor, along with every other kid in the school, got to stop at their lockers to dump off any unneeded books.

As Gregor began to fumble with the dial on his locker, which took him a few tries to open, Lizzie came up and began messing with her locker, which happen to be right next to Gregor's, on the right side.

Lizzie managed to open up the locker on her first try (show off), and she began to pile all of her stuff neatly inside. Compared to Gregor's locker, which already had stuff ready to fall out, her locker was neat as possible. Gregor turned to her.

"So. . . History first, right?" He asked.

Lizzie was practically bouncing around. "Yes, it's great right?"

"Uhh. . . Yeah, I guess. Cause you know, going to my least favorite subject first, every single day has me bursting with joy over here." He responded, groaning.

A voice Gregor didn't recognize came from behind him, directed at Lizzie. "Hey, are you not a little young to be in high school?"

Turning around to ridicule whoever had said that, Gregor came face to face with Luxa, who's locker happened to be right to his left.

Her voice surprised him greatly. She sounded sweet and nice, but there was a hidden bitterness behind her mask. Yes, he had talked to her before, but he had never actually had a conversation with her; it was usually just both of them yelling back and forth.

_Great. Home room, lockers, and now what? I'm I gonna be stuck next to her all year? _Gregor groaned internally.

"Yes, yes I am." Lizzie responded.

Flashing a devious grin, Luxa reached over into Lizzie's locker, and snatched Lizzie's cell phone. "You want it back, you have to either be stronger, or faster than me."

Before Luxa could do anything with the phone, Lizzie put the rest of her unneeded stuff in her locker, and walked up to Luxa. Reaching in Luxa's locker, Lizzie took her phone and began to walk to history.

Lizzie may get panic attacks very easily, but the one thing she will not stand for is bullying. It took Luxa a few seconds to realize what had just happened, and she ran after Lizzie. It took but a second for Luxa to catch up with Lizzie, who had only gotten a few feet away.

When Luxa got to her, Lizzie held her cell phone where Luxa couldn't get it. Lizzie reached out her other hand, and held it open, waiting for Luxa to return her phone. With a groan, Luxa placed Lizzie's phone in her open hand, and grabbed her own phone back when Lizzie held it out to her.

Both girls returned to their lockers, and Gregor couldn't help but open his mouth. "Guess she's smarter, _your majesty_." Gregor stated, putting a spin on 'your majesty'.

The reason he called her that was due to her nickname around the school. Everybody called her a queen due to her social status, and a thin golden headband she always wore to keep her hair in check, and her formal way of speaking. She happen to be one of the most popular girls in school, as too why, Gregor knew not.

Because of her popularity, she also had many boys going after her, not that Gregor cared, but he was surprised that she had been asked out dozens of times, and had never said yes, not once. Some people say that she is a lesbian, others say that she was abused by her old boyfriend (as far as Gregor knew, she never even had a boyfriend). Despite all of this, Gregor didn't like her in the slightest, despite what Lizzie says. He didn't hate her, he rather disliked her.

Gregor was snapped out of his daze when he almost walked right into the person in front of him. He literally had to look up to see the guys head. He recognized him as Ares, by far the tallest kid you'll ever meet, standing at a whopping 6 foot 7 inches.

Realizing he was right at his history class, Gregor walked in aside Lizzie, and they sat next to each other in the very back of the room. Everybody groaned in annoyance as they recognized the teacher. Ms. Solovet, the worst teacher in the entire school. She told everybody how to do things the supposed 'right' way. If she could, she would give the gym teacher, Ripred, lessons on how to run.

Quite a few of the teachers would allow the kids to choose their own seats, where they would then be assigned to sit for the rest of the year, but Ms. Solovet was defiantly not one of those teachers. As she went over attendance, she yelled at any kid who did not practically scream "here", and put their hand straight up. Once she was done the scream fest, she began to assign kids their seats.

She had already assigned all of the kids that were known to be slackers and trouble makers in the front of the room. That included all of Luxa's friends, but not her. Despite her attitude, she seemed to rarely get in trouble, and she got half decent grades.

Much to Gregor's happiness, all of his friends, as least the ones that where in the class, were placed around him. Lizzie was directly to his left, and Larry was right in front of him. Behind him was Angelina, which he didn't like, because he knew she would stare at his the entire time from there. This was all of Gregor's friends, save another guy named Temp, who he had befriended the year before. Temp didn't have the best English, and he was silent most of the time, but he was very nice. He also praised Boots, Gregor's six year old sister, as if she were royalty. He actually liked that, because he knew he could trust him to babysit at a moments notice, without fear of him screwing up in any way. Gregor did however, feel bad for him sometimes. Boots LOVES to play dress up, and Temp seems to be the target of her games quite often.

Overall, Gregor was satisfied with his seat, aside from one fact. While in home room he was surrounded by Luxa and her friends, Luxa was now to Gregor's right, surrounded by him and his friends. If she ever made his life suck in home room, he had an even longer period of time to make her life even worse.

As the class wore onwards, Gregor grew increasingly tired. He had forgotten about school, and had gone to bed at two in the morning. Then, he had been forced to wake up at six o'clock in order to get to school on time. Usually, Gregor slept like a brick, so he would sleep till twelve on weekends; sometimes even one or two if he had gone to bed late.

Ms. Solovet was reviewing stuff from previous years. Stuff about the revolutionary war, and civil war. Gregor already knew most of this stuff, so he was helpless when his eyelids slowly slid closed and remained that way.

Normally, Larry or Angelina would have woken him up, but since he hadn't moved, neither of them were in a position where they could see his eyes to tell that he had fallen asleep. Lizzie may have noticed, but Ms. Solovet had insane ears, and would hear if Lizzie began to shake Gregor awake. The last thing Lizzie wanted was detention. Most of the teachers were against her going to high school so young anyway, but if she got into trouble, they would surely boot her out and back to 7th grade, where kids her age went.

Gregor's eyes shot and he jumped slightly as a banging sound blew up in his face. Looking around to regain his bearings, Gregor realized that he was in _huge _trouble. In front of him, Ms. Solovet had slammed her fist down on Gregor's desk in order to wake him up. In any other class everybody would have laughed, but in this class, you would have gotten a detention if you laughed in this situation, regardless as too who had actually been sleeping.

Without a word, Ms. Solovet scribbled something down on a yellow slip of paper and slid it to Gregor. His mom was going to kill him. Detention, on his very first day of school!

Gregor heard a chuckling sound to his right, and both his head as well as Ms. Solovet's head snapped to the side, and glared at Luxa, who was struggling to contain her laughter. Unfortunately, she had let some slip, and before she could say anything in her defense, Ms. Solovet slid another yellow slip onto Luxa's desk.

Normally, Gregor would have laughed at her obvious discomfort, and the fact that she had detention, but not this time. No, not this time. This time, he was going to be stuck in detention right next to her.

_I should have seen this coming. Does everything I do now have to be next to Luxa? Can't I get a break around here? _Gregor thought. _This is gonna be a long year._

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**That's a wrap on it! So, what did you guys think? I know it doesn't match the books, like it was boots who outsmarted Luxa but this isn't the books. No, this is simply all of the characters shoved into a high school. You know, alongside all of the drugs, fight, gangs *hint hint*, etc. . . So, as usual all feedback is encouraged and appreciated, so give me any and all ideas! See you guys later!**

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**Question: How do you think detention will go?**

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**See you peeps later,**

**-Tytonic**


	3. Chapter 3: Why life?

** Hey guys and welcome back! Sorry I haven't updated this in a little while, but I have taken priority over other things. At school I got a writing class (I will save you all the explanation, but long story short, we didn't have it before, and only a few kids get this class (by luck, not even skill)). Anyway, I keep screwing up and setting up my stories to be way to long, so I don't have half the time I need to complete them in class, so I have to write them at home. I'll try to boost my update speed, but no promises. **Odogboy999 **got the question right, with a very general answer. . . not many people answered the question.** **So, as always any and all feedback is encouraged and appreciated, See ya'll later! Enjoy!**

**See you guys later,**

**-Tytonic**

**Attention: I know some of you have been saying this isn't accurate for high school, but be aware, I'm not even in high school myself, not yet. So most of the school stuff here is coming from my sister. You also have to remember that all schools are different, I mean, my school is the only school I know of that has a choices class.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Underland Chronicles, only the characters I make up and the plot itself.**

**Regalia High**

**Chapter 3: Why, Life?**

Gregor heard a chuckling sound to his right, and both his head as well as Ms. Solovet's head snapped to the side, and glared at Luxa, who was struggling to contain her laughter. Unfortunately, she had let some slip, and before she could say anything in her defense, Ms. Solovet slid another yellow slip onto Luxa's desk.

Normally, Gregor would have laughed at her obvious discomfort, and the fact that she had detention, but not this time. No, not this time. This time, he was going to be stuck in detention right next to her.

_I should have seen this coming. Does everything I do now have to be next to Luxa? Can't I get a break around here? _Gregor thought. _This is gonna be a long year._

**-O-**

The rest of the class went by with a few problems, but for the most part it went smoothly. Most of the kids had heard of how strict Ms. Solovet was, but not all believed it until they met her. Because of how strict she had been on Gregor and Luxa, not a single kid dared to step out of line.

That became a struggle when Ms. Solovet turned off the light to show a presentation. It was still the first day of school, so nobody was used to waking up so early in the morning. Because of this, almost every kid was falling asleep, save Lizzie, who was eagerly listening to the teacher.

Gregor swore he fell asleep a few more times, and snapped awake, but he couldn't be sure. He, however, DID know that a few other kids got nailed for sleeping. Much to his demise, they all happened to be people he hated, well, almost all of them.

It wasn't hard for Ares to get caught; when somebody as tall as him falls asleep, it's hard to miss the absents of his head above everybody else. Henry got caught poking and prodding at Ares, attempting to wake him up. The only other person who got caught was Aurora, who Gregor didn't mind being around. The few times they had talked, she had seemed nice, but he didn't know enough about her in order to effectively judge her.

He had to admit, she was pretty, in fact, she was one of the best looking girls he had ever seen. The thing that kept him away was the fact that she was Luxa's friend, and the way he had seen Ares look at her. There was NO way he was getting in Ares way. For the same reason, most boys stayed away from Aurora.

Gregor had struggled to keep his head up, but right as his efforts began to fail, class ended. He swore, you could hear the sigh of relief from halfway across the school. As everybody shot out of their seats, Ms. Solovet stopped them.

"Class, one more thing." She called out, so that everybody heard her. "I expect to see this review sheet completed tomorrow!"

Gregor had forgotten that about her. Not only was she the most strict teacher int eh school, but she ALWAYS gave homework, no matter the circumstances. With a groan, Gregor grabbed a sheet form the stack she had just placed on an open desk, and got out of the room as fast as possible.

As he began to walk down the hallway, Lizzie walked up besides him. "You, Gregor, are an idiot."

Gregor just shrugged in responses, and changed the subject. "So. . . math right?"

"Yes." Lizzie responded, and then looked behind her. "Looks like the world isn't working for you today. I think the little queen might be in our math too."

Gregor groaned on the inside, but didn't respond to Lizzie. All of his friends had gone the other way as they left his last class, so none of them would be with him. And if that didn't already take the cake, it seemed that all of Luxa's friends were going the same way as him.

As Gregor walked down the hallway, he couldn't help but notice Gorger pass by him. Gorger was a drug dealer, a gang leader, a criminal, and just about any other name you could come up with. He was also thought to be a murder.

A year back, a kid had decided to challenge him when Gorger was picking on him. The kid had managed to give Gorger a black eye before running away. Gorger had sword he would have the kids blood, and guess what? Two days later, the kid disappears. Nobody, not even the police, could find him. Of coarse Gorger had been a suspect, but there was no evidence against him found.

Every person knew that Gorger had done it, even the cops knew, but they couldn't do anything about it without evidence. Gregor also knew that Gorger did it, in fact, Gorger had used it to intimidate Gregor before. He had been scared, but he was smart enough to avoid a scuffle, something he would seriously regret.

Finally, Gregor got to math class. As he walked in, he passed Mareth, the school guard. Mareth was a veteran who had lost one of his legs, and was now serving as a school guard, protecting the kids. It was sad, the fact that he had been forced to pull his gun twice the year before. One time, a kid had walked into school with a shotgun, which in the end, turned out to be a BB gun. Another time, one of Gorgers little rats had pulled a handgun on another student when the student had refused to give up all of his valuables. The student was rich, so he had an Iphone 5, some crazy good beats, multiple solid gold rings, and a solid gold cross on a neckless. Mareth always seemed to be in the right place, at the right time.

Gregor greeted Mareth. Mareth was a really nice guy, and he was still young, too. He was only like 20-23 years, but lost his leg in the military, so he was forced to leave. Because of his age, he and Gregor got along really well. Sometimes, in classes like study hall, he would just sit and talk with Gregor.

As Gregor took his seat, he awaited the teacher, Mrs. Miravet. By the time she walked in, she already had a seating chart in her hand.

_Really? Last year all of the teachers let us choose out own seats, _he thought.

Gregor struggled not to scream in frustration as Luxa got placed directly on his left, and the rest of her friends got placed all around him.

_Life, what did I ever do to you?_

**-O-**

For the most part the rest of the day went smoothly, save a few mishaps from other students. Mostly Henry, and through him, Ares. They already had detention for the rest of the week, and at this, rate, they will never get out of it.

Luxa also got another detention, which Gregor found funny. It was in study hall; Gregor still had no clue what she did, and by the look on her face, she didn't either. Of coarse, Gregor had to let a few laughs slip, and that had gotten him another detention. Of all people, he had to have study hall with Ms. Solovet.

Gregor had been disappointed that he hadn't had gym. It was his favorite class by far, and he really hated, yet loved, the teacher, Ripred. Nobody ever called him by his last name, it just didn't seem right.

Gregor also had track after school, which he would now miss due to detention, same thing the next day. Ripred also happened to be the track coach, which Gregor was fine with, because frankly, he was the only one that could keep up with Ripred, even if that was only for a little while.

Rirped tended to run a lot in track along with the others; Gregor didn't understand why, but he always made it a race with Ripred. He always lost. Albeit over the summer he had been practicing, so he thought he stood a better chance now.

At the end of the day, Gregor sulked to detention. Honestly, he didn't mind the detention itself, it was the fact that it was with Luxa, and that it prevented him from going to track that irritated him.

As he got to the detention room, and was relived to find that Luxa had not yet arrived. As he entered the room, the teacher glared at him. They always treated the students in detention as if they were criminals. Gregor could understand that when it came to Henry and Ares, but everybody else? Like Aurora and Luxa? As far as he knew, they very rarely got detention.

Gregor went straight to the back of the room, were he dropped all of his stuff on the desk, and sat down. He waited for a few minutes, he knew he was allowed to do his work, but he waited anyway.

He had purposely sat away from everybody else, so he highly doubted he would have to worry about the others bothering him. Or, so he thought.

He defiantly had NOT expected Luxa to come in, and sit down right next to him.

**So, thats a wrap on it! I know you guys didn't expect an ending like this. I wanted to do more in this chapter, but I have other stuff to do *cough*read*cough*. This chapter was drag to write, but I managed. . . I guess. ****So, as usual all feedback is encouraged and appreciated, so give me any and all ideas! See you guys later!**

**Question: Why did Luxa sit next to Gregor?**

**R&R tots,**

**-Tytonic **


	4. Chapter 4: Detention

**Hey guys, and welcome back! So, this is getting difficult. I am literally doing four different writing things at a time. Thankfully, War of the Myriapods is almost done. For those of you who haven't noticed, I updated it two times in the past three days, and I am updating tomorrow as well. Well, this is going to be an awkward detention. I have NEVER gotten a detention, so I don't know what it is like. I have been suspended, but thats a story for another time. So, **Overlandrager **got the question right! You will all see the answer in this chapter. So****, as always ****any and all feedback is encouraged and appreciated, See ya'll later! Enjoy!**

**See you guys later,**

**-Tytonic **

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**Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Underland Chronicles, only the characters I make up and the plot itself.**

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**Regalia High**

**Chapter 4: Detention**

* * *

Gregor went straight to the back of the room, were he dropped all of his stuff on the desk, and sat down. He waited for a few minutes, he knew he was allowed to do his work, but he waited anyway.

He had purposely sat away from everybody else, so he highly doubted he would have to worry about the others bothering him. Or, so he thought.

He defiantly had NOT expected Luxa to come in, and sit down right next to him.

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

He didn't know what he had expected, but he had not expected this. He was a good four rows away from everybody else, so the odds that she would randomly sit next to him were very slim.

_Great, she sat there just so she could annoy me, _he thought.

Gregor looked Luxa over, a look of surprise on his face. Not only was he surprised, but he realized he had never looked at her for that long. For the first time, he realized that Luxa was pretty, in fact, she was very pretty. His hatred towards her had just blinded his judgment all this time.

Either way, that did not change the fact that he and Luxa were not compatible whatsoever. They would fight and bicker over every little thing, that is, when they actually did talk.

Once Luxa had finished putting her books in her desk, she stole a glance at Gregor, and noticed him looking at her, with surprise written on his face.

* * *

**Luxa's Point of View**

* * *

As she sat down, she began to question her choice of sitting next to him. As long as she was away from Henry, she was fine, but there were plenty of other seats, she didn't have to sit next to Gregor.

There was just something about him. He was very annoying, yes, but she saw something else there. There was a side of him that he wasn't showing, a side of him which she wanted to know. She just had a feeling that she would like that side of him, that they would be able to get along, instead of bickering and fighting over every little thing.

As she finished putting the rest of her things in her desk, she stole a glance over at Gregor. She was shocked to see that he was looking at her. She could see an assortment of emotions displayed on his face.

First and foremost, she could see surprise. She understood that, if she were him, she would also be surprised that she sat next to him.

She could see a little bit a dread, as if he thought she was there to annoy him. She also understood that, since it was a very likely option.

She was most shocked to see. . . Desire? It disappeared as fast as it appeared. She may have very well imagined it, and it may have have been her eyes playing tricks on her. What shocked her even more is that it caused an awkward feeling to stir up her insides. It wasn't unsettling, as it should be, it felt kind of. . . nice? No, no, that's not possible. How could she _like _him in any way? All they ever did was fight!

She decided to ignore it and focus more on the surprise. "What is it? Are you surprised that I have chosen this particular seat?"

Her voice was much colder than she had intended. Great, all she was going to do was scare him away. She had always been able to tell that he hated fighting, it was very obvious; she had seen him break up fights before, and he always avoided them if possible. It was one of the reasons that they disliked each other so much, because they would always fight.

Gregor seemed to gulp. "Yes, kind of."

Luxa was surprised herself. "Well, anything to be rid of Henry. Currently, he is being such a dick. He thinks it cool that he has gotten himself a detention in almost every class, on only the first day of school."

Gregor seemed to sigh in relief, much to Luxa's amusement. She figured that if she was going to be stuck next to Gregor for the next two hours (this teacher doesn't let you move once you choose a seat), she would at least try to be friendly.

Normally, you were not allowed to talk to others in detention, but with Henry and Ares yapping away in the front of the room, the teacher wouldn't notice if two others were talking.

"I would assume that you are fairly used to this." Luxa commented.

Gregor looked at her weird. "I don't know why you would think that, but no, not really. I've had a few detentions before, not to many though." He explained. "And I would assume that its about the same or you, right?"

Luxa nodded in response. She had honestly expected him to be in detention a lot, due to how annoying he always was. Albeit, now that they were not fighting each other, he didn't seem to be all that annoying.

Honestly, she thought it was a possibility that they could become friends. You know, she was having a party at her house in a few nights. Maybe she would invite him. That is, if they became a little closer to each other.

That should not be all that difficult, considering that they still had another hour and forty five minutes left, plus all of detention the next day.

* * *

**Gregor's Point of View**

* * *

Gregor walked out of detention satisfied. He and Luxa had actually gotten along for once. He had seen another side of her, a side he would have never know if they had been fighting. He also found out that they could get along very well, and possibly, with detention the next day, and almost every single class with her, they could become friends.

He would like that. To have an actual friend that is a girl, who is not related to him, or always flirting with him.

Yes, he would like that. He would like that a lot.

* * *

** So, how did you guys like the chapter? I want to let you guys know that this is not going to be a long story. The next few chapters will be the equivalent to the end of the first book in the series. So you can see how long this whole story will be, not all that long. So, as usual all feedback is encouraged and appreciated, so give me any and all ideas! See you guys later!**

* * *

**Question: How do you think Gregor and Luxa's relationship will play out?**

* * *

**R&R peeps,**

**-Tytonic **


	5. Chapter 5: Just Something About Her

** Hello guys, and welcome back! Sorry for the prolonged absence, but many of you know why already. For various reasons, **SkyChip **has taken over this story, albeit he requested that the story be continued on my profile. Be aware, he is now the author of these chapters, and he gets all credit for the rest of the story, while I retain credit for the concept, and already written chapters. He has not put in his own authors note, though I requested that he does so at the beginning, and then I will at the end of the chapter. So, as always any and all feedback is encouraged and appreciated, See ya'll later! Enjoy!**

**See ya'll later,**

**-Tytonic**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Underland Chronicles, only the characters I make up and the plot itself.**

* * *

**Regalia High**

**Chapter 5: Just Something About Her**

* * *

He had seen another side of her, a side he would have never know if they had been fighting. He also found out that they could get along very well, and possibly, with detention the next day, and almost every single class with her, they could become friends.

He would like that. To have an actual friend that is a girl, who is not related to him, or always flirting with him.

Yes, he would like that. He would like that a lot.

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

The second day of school wasn't so bad. Gregor remembered about school this time, and he went to bed early. He was a bit excited to go to bed. Not that he particularly liked going to school, but because of what could happen.

Detention with Luxa had gone a lot better than he had expected. She was a lot easier to get along with when she wasn't with her friends, and they had talked the entire time. They had to stop a few times when the teacher glanced over, but for the most part, they talked and talked. Henry and Ares kept the teacher occupied, and there wasn't much really a danger of being caught.

He lay in his bed for a while, thinking about what could happen. After his alarm went off for the third time, Gregor finally got up and took a quick shower. He preferred warm showers at night, but before school, he found that cold showers woke him up faster.

On the first day of school, Gregor had to go to homeroom to pick up his schedule. Now, he knew what his schedule was, and he had to go to his first class. That meant he had to spend his first class getting screamed at by Ms. Solovet.

The only good thing about that was that he would be sitting next to his friends.

When the bell rang for class to start, Gregor walked in to find that Luxa was already sitting in her seat and Ms. Solovet was not at her desk.

Teachers weren't always late, but sometimes they had stuff to take care of at the office. Luxa must have gotten her things from her locker early, since he hadn't seen her. He thought about saying hi to her when they got their things from their lockers, but it was just him and Lizzie.

Luxa didn't show up, and Gregor left to class, a little embarrassed, when he realized he was stalling and taking his time while getting his things, sort of hoping she would show up.

Now, he took his seat and waited for Ms. Solovet to walk in. After a few moments, she was still gone, and a small murmur of voices begun to buzz through the room. Everyone knew that talking in Ms. Solovet's class would mean certain punishment, but the fact that she wasn't there made it a challenge. They all talked, not because they really wanted to talk, but because they wanted to tell their other friends later that they had talked in Ms. Solovet's class and lived to tell of it.

Of course, they would leave the part out of how she wasn't there.

Gregor decided this was the best time to say something to Luxa. Maybe she just as easy to talk to as the day before. Leaning over slightly, he whispered, "Luxa."

The girl kept her eyes on her paper, doodling something with one of her big, fancy pens. It was easy to tell that she was better off than most kids because of the things she owned or the clothes she wore.

Luxa probably hadn't heard him, and he was about to ask something else when Ms. Solovet walked in. She had marched in and found some of the kids near the door talking, and she was giving detentions left and right. Her loud yells made Gregor think she wouldn't be bad in the military. Somehow, he thought she would fit right in.

History went by without a single word to Luxa. No one wanted another detention, and so the classroom was completely quiet until the bell rang. When the end of class finally came, Luxa was the first one out the door. Gregor had hoped he could say something to her, but she was gone before he had put his books together.

At homeroom, Luxa was surrounded by her friends, and Gregor didn't dare try to talk to her in front of Henry or Ares. He didn't mind Aurora so much, but he didn't want to look dumb in front of the other two.

The entire time, it was like detention with her had never happened. Luxa spent homeroom talking only to her friends, snickering with Henry about something that was apparently hilarious. She never even glanced over at him once.

In math with Mrs. Miravet, Luxa was once again surrounded by Gregor and his friends. Math class was no different to history, except for the fact that they could get a bit of talking in here and there. It wasn't as bad as history in terms of strictness, and Gregor tried to catch her gaze.

Luxa spent the entire time trying to avoid his eyes. Not once did she turn to him, and Gregor gave up about halfway through the class. For some reason, she was trying to avoid him, and he didn't know why.

After class, he didn't even try to stop her before she left. Luxa was gone as soon as the bell rang again. Gregor took his time with his things, stopping by his locker to drop off his things before lunch.

At the cafeteria, Gregor slowly walked through the lunch line with his gaze on the ground, thinking about why Luxa was being so distant.

Wait, why did he care?

They had talked for just one detention, and he expected them to be best friends? Why wasn't he trying to talk to his friends? Luxa was doing just fine with her group, so maybe he should try to go back to his. Getting stuck with Luxa in detention for the first two days was probably just a coincidence. There was no way they were meant to spend their free time together. They were too different.

Gregor started walking to his lunch table, the one with all of his friends. His real friends. He was still trying to figure out his thoughts when out of the corner of his eye, he saw Henry whisper something to Luxa. He forgot he had to walk by Luxa's table, and before he realized what was happening, he saw Luxa's foot shoot out.

Gregor fell straight on his stomach, landing on his lunch. His shirt had a mixture of ketchup and green Gatorade. When he got up, Luxa was covering her mouth trying to keep herself from laughing, but Henry was laughing hysterically out loud. Ares was laughing slightly, not as loud as Henry, but he was louder than Luxa. Aurora gave Gregor an apologetic look, and she was the only one who wasn't laughing. Aurora shot Ares a look, and he instantly pulled himself together.

As he picked up the fries that were on the floor, Gregor decided he hated them. Not Aurora, but definitely the rest of them. Ares had only laughed, and he knew he mostly got in trouble for being with Henry. But looking at the other two, he couldn't decide who he hated more. Luxa or Henry.

Without even going to his friends, Gregor walked out of the cafeteria and washed his shirt out the best he could. When he was done, he didn't go back into the cafeteria. He just walked around the hallways, trying to think of anything but Luxa.

Somehow, it was harder than he thought.

The good thing about the rest of the day was that Luxa wasn't in any more of his classes. He concentrated on the lessons as much as he could, and for a time, he forgot all about lunch. His distraction didn't last long, however, and soon, he was walking to detention.

He was even angrier that he had to miss track practice again. But he decided it wasn't so bad. He had gone through the day without receiving another detention, and if he could just do the same the next day, then he'd be able to run with the rest of the team after school.

Of course, Gregor had more homework from Ms. Solovet, and that was what he would be doing the entire time. Talking with Luxa the day before distracted him from his work, and he had to do all of it at home. He wouldn't have to worry about it this time, though.

Gregor was even more surprised this time to see Luxa sit next to him. Again.

He could tell Luxa was looking over at him, but he pretended to be busy with his homework. A moment passed between them, completely in silence. It was quiet enough to hear Henry and Ares talking on the other side of the room. While the teacher yelled at them to stop talking, Luxa spoke up.

"Gregor?"

He didn't respond. He didn't even turn to look at her.

"Gregor," she repeated. This time, it wasn't a question. She knew he was ignoring her, and she refused to be ignored. But she had ignored him. So why should he listen to her?

"Gregor, I am sorry."

That got him to turn. "What?"

She took a deep breath. "I was cruel. I should not have tripped you."

Gregor was surprised that she would apologize. She had literally spent the entire day ignoring and avoiding him, and now, she was talking to him like nothing had happened.

"I didn't think you'd say sorry for that. Seems like you thought it was pretty funny."

"Yes, well, I did not think I would be saying sorry either. Aurora made me understand that it was wrong. She believes we could actually be friends."

Gregor looked at her in disbelief. "Wait, Aurora made you understand? So, if Aurora hadn't said anything, you wouldn't be saying sorry?"

Luxa opened her mouth to say something, but closed it after a moment. She hadn't expected Gregor to react that way.

He didn't wait for her to think of something to say. "You can't expect us to be friends if you're going to ignore me and then act like nothing happened. You can't expect me to be okay with getting picked on when you're with your friends just so you look cool in front of them. And I definitely can't expect you to be a good friend."

With that he turned around and put his head down. He noticed that she looked hurt by his words, especially the last part, but he didn't care. He wanted her feel what he felt when he was picking his lunch off his clothes while everyone laughed at him.

After a moment, he heard her turn around and put her head down as well. Gregor wanted to get up and do his work, but he didn't care about school at the moment either.

Again, his thoughts wandered to Luxa. Feeling his heart drop, he realized why he couldn't stop thinking of her.

The reason why he felt so bad, why this whole situation made him uneasy, was because deep down, he had hoped they could get to know each other.

There was just something about her.

* * *

** There is just something about her. . . It's funny, how you see it all of the time in writing. Characters are in love, but they don't realize it, while it is so painfully obvious to the reader. Makes the story that much better. I swear, Gregor and Luxa are meant for each other. So, if my sources are correct, you should be expecting a chapter every two to three days. So, as usual all feedback is encouraged and appreciated, so give any and all ideas! See you guys later!**

* * *

**Question: So this is gonna be weird. . . Since I won't know the answer either. How will Gregor and Luxa mend their broken relationship (however small it was)? Face facts, we all know (not for sure, not even I know for sure) that they will become, at least, friends, right?**

* * *

**R&R peeps,**

**-Tytonic **


	6. Chapter 6: Holding Grudges

** First, I want to say thanks to Tytonic for choosing me to continue this story. I've been writing for a while, but I've never posted anything up. Anyways, I hope you guys like the rest of this story. I'll do the best I can with it. I'll let Tytonic continue with the questions, because the whole thing is hilarious to me. He asks, but he doesn't know either. **

** Please keep in mind that this is an AU, and so it's hard to keep these people in character all the time. But like I said, I'll try. And, I'm trying to make them seem more like real high school kids. I'll be incorporating a lot of things from High School, so hopefully you recognize, remember, or look forward to some of these things. Hope you enjoy the chapter. These first few will be uneventful, but they're necessary. Thanks to everyone!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Underland Chronicles, only the characters I make up and the plot itself.**

* * *

**Regalia High**

**Chapter 6: Holding Grudges **

* * *

The reason why he felt so bad, why this whole situation made him uneasy, was because deep down, he had hoped they could get to know each other.

There was just something about her.

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

The third day of school was much like the second. Gregor spent his class time being bored and a bit annoyed. The things they were learning weren't all too interesting.

In Mrs. Miravet's class, he was learning about parabolas. When would he ever use that in real life? Who cared about lines and turns and coordinate planes? It seemed pointless to him, but he did his work anyway. The sooner he got it over with, the better.

In history with Ms. Solovet, he was learning about World War II. This was a little more interesting to him, but only a little. The thought of war was somehow appealing to him, though he didn't know why, since he hated fighting. He decided that the reason he liked that topic so much was because it caused him to daydream.

For some reason, Gregor liked to think that in a different life, in a different world, he could be a mighty soldier that went on journeys and battled horrible creatures to save a city or a kingdom. But of course, that was impossible.

Silly him.

The daydreams were always strange, but he welcomed anything at the moment. Gregor was desperate to think of anything besides the day before with Luxa. He had gone home after detention thinking about what he had told her. Maybe he had been a little mean, but all he had done was tell her the truth. It's not like he tripped her in front of a cafeteria full of people and covered her in her lunch.

But no matter how much he wanted to think she deserved it, he felt bad. Aurora had told Luxa to say sorry, but there was no one to push him to apologize. Gregor had been angry that Luxa needed to be convinced, yet he didn't want to say sorry. If he hadn't meant the words he had said, he would definitely say sorry without having to be told. But he didn't want to say sorry. He felt bad, but Luxa was cruel, and besides, she wasn't his friend.

Yes, the third day was very similar to the second. Especially with the fact that Luxa ignored him.

Today, he didn't mind. He tried to go on with his day like she wasn't there. In the classes where his friends surrounded her, she just kept her head down. She didn't say anything, or even look up from her desk. Gregor's friends obviously didn't talk to her either, and she spent the class period in total silence.

In the class where he was the one in enemy territory, he did the same thing she did. He kept his head down and never spoke. He noticed that Luxa also pretended that he wasn't there.

Gregor was looking at the teacher when he noticed Aurora give him a quick glance. It wasn't a mean look. From what he could tell, she looked a bit uneasy. He remembered that Luxa said it was Aurora's idea for her to say sorry, and that Aurora wanted them to be friends. She was the only nice one from their group, and he felt kind of bad that she had to put up with the rest of them. Why did she even hang out with them?

Gregor would have been fine with the idea of staying away from Luxa permanently. However, whenever he accidentally caught himself looking at her, though he tried not to, he noticed that she wasn't her usual self. She looked...sad? He was sure that was it. A certain light was missing from her eyes. Was she sad because of what had happened the day before?

Maybe Luxa was sad that she wouldn't get to be friends with him. Maybe she was a little bit miserable. Maybe she wanted to talk to him just as much as he wanted to talk to her.

Gregor didn't know why, but the thought of Luxa wanting him made him smile.

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

The rest of the day went by slowly. It went especially slow because Lizzie was no longer in all of his classes. There had been a few schedule changes for some students, and Lizzie had been moved. It had to do with fixing the problem of overcrowding, and some of the more empty classes got more students so the huge classes could get smaller. She had the same classes, but they were in a different order.

The phone calls from Gregor's mother had not been enough to change them, and Lizzie was forced to accept the new schedule. Gregor was a bit upset that he wouldn't have her around, but he didn't mind it too much. At least she could still help him with his homework.

At the end of the day, Gregor was putting his things in his locker when he realized he didn't have detention that day. He would finally be able to go to track practice. Grabbing his backpack, he quickly made his way over to the gym.

He made a face as he walked into the locker room. The smell of that place was something he would never get used to. It always smelled like a mixture between sweat and something else he didn't know. Gregor decided he never wanted to find out.

When he was all changed out, he jogged over to the track and found Ripred yelling at a few freshmen. He couldn't help but smile as he remembered how he met Ripred. Gregor had been outrunning the seniors, and Ripred finally challenged him. Even though Gregor lost the race against him and had to run four extra laps after practice, the coach had taken a certain liking to him, and Gregor liked him as well.

"Hurry up, Baby Flash! Why are you late? Do you need a nap and a bottle of milk?"

Well, most of the time.

Ripred was yelling at him from the other side of the track. Gregor hurried over and began stretching. He quickly explained why he had missed practice the first two days. That earned a response from the coach about how his athletes weren't troublemakers and that if he wanted to stay on the team, he had to straighten up his act. Gregor nodded, but he was ordered to run extra laps anyway.

He didn't mind running the extra laps. Instead of pacing himself, however, he pushed his body harder and harder until he felt like his lungs were going to burst. When Gregor's legs felt like they would fall off, he stopped running and realized he had been thinking about Luxa.

Again.

Now, Gregor was seriously mad. Why couldn't he get that girl out of his head?

Apparently, his distraction was noticeable by the way he ran, because soon, he had Ripred yelling at him from a distance. This made him slightly angrier, since Luxa was the reason he was messing up on the only thing he loved doing.

Frustrated and annoyed, Gregor got through practice as best he could. As soon as it was over, he jogged home and collapsed on his bed, completely exhausted both physically and mentally. He hoped emotionally wasn't a factor as well.

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

The next day, Gregor woke up extra early. He had gone to bed early, and his stomach was growling as if he hadn't eaten in days. Besides, he didn't want a detention from Ms. Solovet for not doing his homework.

At school, Luxa and Gregor continued their ignoring game. Acting like the other didn't exist, they went about their day grimly. The day before, he thought he had imagined it, but now, it was clear to him. Luxa was upset, and she didn't seem as lively with her group of friends as she always was.

After lunch, Gregor asked to go to the bathroom during class, which earned him a disapproving look from the teacher. He knew he wasn't supposed to go during class, especially when lunch had just passed. But he couldn't hold it. The teacher gave him a slight nod, and Gregor rushed off to the bathroom.

Even after he was done, Gregor took his time washing his hands. He really didn't want to go back to class. Today, it was boring lecture day. Not that he had any exciting lecture days.

As he was walking back to class, he saw Aurora down the hall coming towards him with a little pink slip. Probably a pass. He realized it was the best time to talk to her without the awkward presence of Luxa or Ares, so he greeted her as she got closer.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi," she replied, grinning a smile with perfect white teeth. She had a beautiful smile. But it didn't compare to Luxa's…

Gregor pulled himself together. "I know we don't really know each other, but I was actually hoping to talk to you." He hoped that didn't sound too creepy.

Aurora tilted her head slightly. "Oh? About what? Please tell me you'll take your time telling me. I don't want to go back to class."

"You have a pass. Just walk around, but look like you're going somewhere."

She laughed slightly. "I guess I can walk around. Anywhere except near the office. I just came from there. I moved a few months ago and I forgot to change my address." She looked down at his hands and noticed he didn't have a pass. "Where are you coming from?"

Gregor didn't want to tell Aurora that he had just come back from peeing. For some reason, he thought it was kind of weird. Instead, he thought of something else.

"I took the attendance sheet to the office."

She gave him another smile and raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that done over the computer?"

"We have a sub," said Gregor, not skipping a beat.

"On the first week of school?"

"I can't decide who gets sick or not."

Aurora crossed her arms. "Why didn't I see you at the office?"

He swallowed nervously. "I took the long way around. I don't want to be in class either." They both laughed, and Gregor could tell she hadn't believed a word he said, but she didn't push on. "Anyways," he continued, "I wanted to thank you for what you did. Luxa told me you convinced her to say sorry. You really didn't need to tell her anything."

"Yes, I did. It was mean what she did. Especially after the detention."

That got his attention. "Wait, she told you about that?"

Aurora nodded slowly. "She told me many things. And if you two were starting to become friends, then what she was did was horrible."

Gregor wondered about what Luxa had told Aurora. Good things? Bad things? If they were bad, Aurora wouldn't repeat them. He couldn't believe how nice Aurora was. She was like Luxa without Henry. She was easy to talk to, and her words always sounded sincere.

"Why do you hang out with them, if they're so mean?" he asked her.

She sighed. "They were not always like that. They have changed so much since I first met them. I stay because I know Henry and Luxa were different, and I always hope to see them go back to their old selves. Of course, that means I would have to solve all of their problems. They worry about a lot."

Hearing the words from Aurora made Gregor reflect on how he acted with Luxa. He couldn't help but feel a bit bad. Who knew what had happened in Luxa's life that made her change? He sure didn't, so he decided he would try not to judge her too harshly.

"Her apology didn't really fix things. but thanks anyway. It was really nice of you."

Aurora was about to answer when the bell rang, causing kids to burst out of the classrooms. Aurora turned to leave, but then turned back to him. "You're welcome," she said.

Gregor gave her an awkward wave and began to walk back to class. He needed to get the things he had left on his desk. Before he reached the end of the hall, he noticed that Ares was leaning up against a locker, staring at him.

He wondered for a bit why Ares would have an interest in him, and then it dawned on him. Ares had seen him talk to Aurora. Gregor didn't need rumors to know that Ares had a thing for Aurora, and he hoped the tall teenager hadn't misinterpreted what had just happened.

But what if he had? Would Ares come looking for him later? Just looking into his dark eyes convinced Gregor that he never wanted to be on Ares' bad side. He hoped nothing bad came from this.

Judging by the luck he had so far, though, Gregor gave up on that idea completely.

* * *

** Well, Gregor's unintentionally screwing himself over. I don't know why, but I don't see Ares as an 'understanding' type of guy. Only a few day's into school, and Gregor is already having this much trouble. Imagine the rest of the year like this; it would suck for him. Now, I would tell you who got the question right, but I have no clue myself. I know this story is just picking back up, but I'm going on vacation soon, and it might slow down a bit, though I will try to keep on posting. So, as usual all feedback is encouraged and appreciated, so give any and all ideas! See you guys later!**

* * *

**Question: How will Ares interpret what he saw between Gregor and Aurora? I have no clue, but I would guess he doesn't take it very well.**

* * *

**Until next time,**

**-Tytonic**


	7. Chapter 7: conflict

**Hey everyone! Thanks for continuing to support this story. I'm doing my best with these chapters, and I hope you guys like them. This is another short chapter, but it's the last one. After this one, the chapters are a lot longer. Again, thanks for the support!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of ****The Underland Chronicles****, only the characters I make up and the plot itself.**

* * *

**Regalia High**

**Chapter 7: Conflict**

* * *

But what if he had? Would Ares come looking for him later? Just looking into his dark eyes convinced Gregor that he never wanted to be on Ares' bad side. He hoped nothing bad came from this.

Judging by the luck he had so far, though, Gregor gave up on that idea completely.

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

Practice that day went a lot easier than it had the day before. Gregor got to the track early this time, and he avoided the yells from Ripred. He wasn't ordered to run extra laps, but he pushed his body anyway.

He felt the familiar burn through his legs, the sting of his eyes as the sweat ran down his face, and the dryness of his throat as his body begged for water. His effort was actually praised by Ripred, though the comment was hidden in a sarcastic remark. Ripred almost never praised anyone. He was usually harsh in his criticisms and not easily impressed.

Gregor just nodded and walked away. He was actually surprised Ripred would compliment him, and he would have smiled, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Luxa was still in his thoughts, and he had given up trying to get her out. The worst part was that he knew they would never be friends.

The next day in school was just like the previous one. Luxa ignored him and he ignored her. She kept to herself during class and made no noise. In the classes with her own friends, Luxa didn't speak to them. She would answer when spoken to, but other than that, she remained quiet.

Although Gregor didn't talk to Henry, Luxa, or Ares, he would exchange a small smile with Aurora every time she glanced back. She sat in front of Luxa, and every time she turned to look at Gregor, Luxa would shoot her a glance. Aurora would quickly turn back around and she wouldn't turn again for a while.

Aurora wasn't the only one that would turn to Gregor. Ares would steal a glance every few minutes also. Gregor tried not to notice, but it was just too obvious. He guessed Ares didn't have much experience being subtle, which is why the whole school knew he had a thing for Aurora. The surprising thing was that Ares didn't seem mad or upset at all. Instead, he looked like he was…studying Gregor. It was the best word Gregor could think of that would fit the kind of look Ares was giving him.

During Ms. Solovet's class, Luxa was called up to the office, and she left the class quietly. Henry whispered something to Ares and they both laughed, earning them both a detention. When Ms. Solovet was walking away, Aurora turned to look at Gregor again. He looked over and saw that she was giving him a questioning look, raising an eyebrow and pointing at Luxa's desk. Gregor frowned and shook his head softly, causing her expression to turn sad. When she noticed that Ares was staring, she quickly turned back to face the front of the class. For the rest of the hour, Aurora didn't turn back to look at him.

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

Gregor was relieved when Friday finally came. One more day to go. He hoped that the weekend would help Luxa get over what happened. And maybe Ares too, for that matter. Perhaps they just needed a break from seeing him everyday.

At lunch that day, Larry got to the table with a huge smile on his face. The excitement was evident on his face, and he started talking before his friends could ask why.

"Guys! Guess what?" he asked.

"What?" responded Lizzie.

"Well, guess!"

"You found money on the ground?" she asked.

"You won the lottery," piped in Angelina.

"Ms. Solovet forgave you for not doing the homework?" added Gregor.

"No, no and unfortunately, no," said Larry. He smiled and waited a moment, letting the suspense build up. The others only waited, looking at him. When Larry couldn't hold his excitement any longer, he pumped his fist and said, "Dodgeball Tournament!"

"Dodgeball?" asked Lizzie.

"It's a game."

"I know what dodgeball is! Why are you so excited, though? Are you going to play in it?"

"Yes! I signed up on my way here. I saw the signs in the hallways and I ran to sign up as soon as I could. You should sign up too, Gregor!"

"I'm good," said Gregor. Running track was the only thing he liked doing. He went back to his pizza and listened to Larry tell the rest of them how awesome it would be.

Before lunch was over, Gregor heard a loud noise and turned to see a kid on the ground with a puddle of lemonade around him. A teacher walked over and started yelling at Henry, ordering him to go to the office. Apparently, the poor kid on the floor was another victim from Henry's group. Only now, it was Henry that did the tripping, and he was actually caught. Gregor only shook his head and turned back to his group. He was done worrying about them.

Larry spent the entire lunch talking about the dodgeball tournament, and the only thing that shut him up was the bell for class. Gregor starting walking back to his locker with Lizzie, talking about things she could do after school. She wanted to join some clubs, and Gregor knew she was smart enough to do more than one. He was trying to convince her to take it easy her first year when they heard something in the hall ahead of them.

Luxa was in the middle of a heated discussion with Gorger. From the distance Gregor was at, he couldn't tell what they were arguing about, but they were yelling back and forth. Luxa was staring at Gorger with cold eyes, and she stood in place. Gorger, on the other hand, was pacing back and forth and pointing his index finger at her, as if he were accusing her of something.

Gregor pushed his way past the crowds of people gathering around. When he was close enough, he saw that Ares and Aurora were with Luxa, but they were behind her, completely silent.

Gorger looked like he was about to launch at Luxa. His fists were clenched and his teeth were bared. He wasn't yelling anymore, and he was looking at Luxa with hatred. He glanced behind her and saw Aurora, and when he saw Ares, his fists unclenched. After considering his options, Gregor guessed that Gorger wanted to avoid a fight with Ares. No one had actually ever fought Ares, and it was uncertain whether he could fight or not, but no one wanted to risk finding out.

Gorger didn't look so ready to fight anymore. Instead, he gave Luxa a devilish grin. It was truly frightening, and somehow, he looked more threatening now that he did when he was ready to pounce. He took a few steps toward Luxa.

"Just remember, your highness. Your bodyguard won't always be around to defend you," he growled. Before anyone could react, Gorger brought his arm up and punched a dent into Luxa's locker. Luxa didn't flinch, and Gregor saw that it bothered Gorger somewhat that she was unmoved by what he had done. He didn't do anything else, though, and only turned around to walk away.

Luxa stood there staring after Gorger until he was out of sight. Then, she turned around and opened her locker. She acted like the dent wasn't there. She only grabbed her books and closed the door. Gregor made his way over to her and spoke softly.

"Are you alright?"

Luxa still had her back to him, but she froze at the sound of his voice. Gregor was expecting her to ignore him, but she turned towards him with a composed expression, showing no emotions at all.

"Whether I am alright or not is not your affair. You and I are _not _friends."

Gregor was speechless. He had no counter to that. He only stared blankly while she left with Aurora and Ares. Aurora turned to give him a sad look, and Ares only walked away silently.

He and Luxa hadn't talked in days. The two of them didn't get along. Since the year before, when they were freshmen, the only conversation that occurred between them was an argument.

Gregor and Luxa were far from friends. She was right. They were nothing. And Gregor had already accepted that.

So why did her words leave a knot in his stomach and a lump in his throat?

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**Things are getting a little heated here, aren't they? Luxa getting threatened, then giving Gregor the cold shoulder, something is soon gonna happen. I, personally, want to know what happens with Gorger. We all know he dies in the books, but how will that happen here, if at all? Whatever happens, I'm very eager to read more.**

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**Question: What will happen with Gorger?**

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**See you guys later,**

**-Tytonic**


	8. Chapter 8: What Just Happened?

**Hey, guys! I'm going to start sounding like a broken record, but I can't emphasize enough how great it is to know that a lot of people still read this story. Thanks to everyone for all the support. Hope you guys like the chapter. The next chapter will be up soon.**

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******Disclaimer: I do not own any of ****The Underland Chronicles****, only the characters I make up and the plot itself.**

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**Regalia High**

**Chapter 8: What Just Happened?**

* * *

He and Luxa hadn't talked in days. The two of them didn't get along. Since the year before, when they were freshmen, the only conversation that occurred between them was an argument.

Gregor and Luxa were far from friends. She was right. They were nothing. And Gregor had already accepted that.

So why did her words leave a knot in his stomach and a lump in his throat?

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

The weekend fixed absolutely nothing.

When he arrived to school on Monday morning, Gregor was hopeful that the second week of school wouldn't be as bad as the first. He realized that if his issues could extend over a weekend with no problems, then they could easily stretch out to bother him throughout the entire school year.

And that didn't sound too exciting.

When the bell rang and it was time to go to class, it became obvious that things were still the same. Luxa had taken her things from her locker early again and was already in her seat when Gregor walked in. She didn't so much as look up as he sat down, and her expression was serious.

Gregor let out a sigh of defeat and turned to the front of the class. His attention didn't last long up there, however, as he quickly realized that someone was watching him. Turning his head slightly, he found Ares giving him the same look he had given him the last few days of the first week.

Again, he couldn't help but realize that the stare wasn't threatening. It wasn't a friendly stare, but Gregor was just happy that Ares didn't look like he wanted to beat him up. Still, whether he wanted to hurt him or not, Gregor wasn't friends with Ares, and this only added to his list of uncertainties. He didn't know what Ares was thinking, and he definitely didn't know what Luxa was thinking.

It was turning out to be the worst start of a school year in the history of forever. And it was all because he couldn't get Luxa out of his thoughts.

Gregor caught himself glancing over at her a few times. He honestly tried not to. He was still a bit hurt by her words. Perhaps the same way she had been hurt by his. Thinking of that made him feel bad. He needed to stay away from her.

But he couldn't. Every time she was called on by the teacher to answer a question, he leaned forward a bit, hoping to hear her voice. It was dumb, really. Gregor stopped himself every time he realized what he was doing. The times he didn't catch himself, he felt his ears get warm with embarrassment. He wondered if anyone might have seen what he was doing. After thinking about it, he decided he didn't care. Hearing Luxa talk was well worth it.

From what he could tell, Luxa was upset like the week before. Deep down, Gregor still hoped that it was because what had happened in detention. She seemed the same, though. Luxa was still upset, but just the same. Gregor thought she might have been more shaken up by what had happened with Gorger, but she didn't show any signs of stress from it. She walked the hallways without fear, and she still disregarded the dent that decorated the outside of her locker.

Gregor wondered how long he would be worried about her. She didn't care about him, whether she was sad they weren't friends or not. It wasn't like she worried about him. But thinking about her was seriously the highlight of his day. Otherwise, he would just be bored at school all day.

Class was never the most interesting thing in the world. He usually learned things he was never going to use as an adult. Gregor had never given much thought to what he would do when he grew up, but he was sure it wasn't going to involve over half of the stuff the teachers were trying to hammer into his brain.

His weekend wasn't the best, either. Friday night wasn't too bad, though. Gregor got permission to go to Larry's house, and the two of them stayed up pretty late playing video games. He stayed the night and woke to the smell of fresh pancakes that Larry's mom was making. But the rest of that Saturday was used to do homework for Ms. Solovet's class. Apparently, one of the kids in class had said something about her at lunch, and she had heard about it. She responded by giving the entire class extra homework.

Sunday was used up for chores and studying. Mr. Vikus was his homeroom teacher and didn't teach too much, but he said he would give them a quiz on the school rules and things like that. So Gregor had to make sure he knew the dress code and rules and that all the forms he had been given were signed by his parents. Just boring start-of-the-year stuff.

Despite the warning of a quiz, Gregor had grown to admire the old man. It wasn't the same kind of respect he had for Ripred. It was different. The older man had stepped in more than once to stop Henry from picking on Gregor or other kids. It was fairly obvious that he didn't like violence, and Gregor was grateful for that. The studying he did for the quiz wasn't so much to get good grades. It was more to stay on good terms with Mr. Vikus. He didn't want to get a bad grade and cause the old man to look down on him with disappointment. The problems he had with other people were more than enough.

Track practice that day went just like it had the week before. Gregor wasn't too happy that he was thinking about Luxa all the time while he ran, but he wasn't so mad about it either. He didn't really care anymore. If he was somehow feeling a certain way, it wasn't like it was his fault. He had tried to stay away, but it didn't make a difference. He was only a sophomore in high school. What did he know about love? He didn't know anything! Unless, it wasn't love. Maybe it was something else. Or was it? He needed to talk to someone about it.

"Alright, ladies! Hurry up and gather around! And don't trip on your skirt on your way here!"

But definitely not Ripred.

"I said hurry up!" snarled the coach.

All of the runners jogged over quickly to stand around Ripred. They were all tired, but not doing exactly what Ripred said when it came to track was the perfect way to get a punishment. One that would include about an hour of time and eight miles of distance.

"Some of you might have seen that a Dodgeball Tournament is coming up. The reason why it's being held so early in the year is to test how popular it can get. In the school's perspective. they want to know if they can make money off of it. With the people that show up to watch, there's snacks and drinks that are sold to them. If they decide they can benefit from it, the school will make a team."

"A team?" Some of the kids were interested in the conversation now, and there were soft murmurs going about the crowd. "Is it even a sport?"

"It's a sport!" growled Ripred. "And if the school likes what happens that day, they'll let me make a team out of it. We can make a league with the rest of the schools from the district."

"That sounds like fun!" said a girl from the sprint team that Gregor didn't recognize.

"It should be," responded Ripred. He looked around at the group once more. "So here's what I want you all to do. I want all of you to go and show the principals that this can be as big as football or basketball. Make as much noise as you can in the stands and buy some snacks to watch the game. It should be exciting. I'll be coaching it."

Gregor knew that he was being forced to go by Ripred, but he had already decided to go. Angelina had made him and Lizzie promise that they would go to see Larry play. He had been so excited, and Gregor wanted to be there for him.

"Will you be coaching the dodgeball team if it becomes an actual team?" asked one of the long jumpers.

"Most likely. But we'll see. Now go run a cool down lap."

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

On the day of the tournament, a week later, the school buzzed with excitement. Everyone had giddy expressions, and they were all excited to finally see the dodgeball team play. That day, no one could speak of anything else. Classes felt like they dragged on forever, and the time couldn't go by any faster.

There were rumors that the dodgeball team would definitely be something to fear. No doubt, the rumors were sparked by the fact that Henry and Ares were on the team. Everyone knew them, and they were loved by everyone for their athleticism. They were both the stars of the football and basketball teams, and they had decided to give the dodgeball thing a try.

Gregor wanted to be as excited as Larry and Angelina, but he just couldn't. The past week had been just the same. Luxa still ignored him, and it was slowly making him more miserable. Lizzie had caught him twice staring at her, and he only ignored her when she asked why he was so interested in her. He might have answered, since he tried not to keep anything from his sister, but he didn't say anything. In order to answer Lizzie's question, Gregor had to know the answer himself. And he didn't.

As he entered the gym after school, he found Angelina already sitting in a spot near the half court line. She waved at him, and Gregor slowly made his way through the crowds. Once he was up on the bleachers, Gregor got a good look around.

The gym had been completely re-decorated to show their school colors. There were balloons hanging from the walls, and streamers came waving down from the ceiling. Gregor was the only one not wearing a school shirt, and he felt a little weird. He didn't feel left out. It was more like when he had shown up to one of Angelina's school plays and he was dressed in a t-shirt while everyone else had formal clothing.

Angelina smiled at him when he sat down and she bumped into him playfully. Gregor was afraid that she might do something, and there it was. She seemed to think of them going alone as some kind of date between them.

Lizzie had promised that she would go, but she was at a Chess Club meeting. Gregor was happy with what his sister had chosen to do. She was really smart, and chess was really easy for her. She had a gift for being able to see what the other person was going to do a few moves before it happened. Plus, it was a club where there was no physical contact. Sports might be fun, but Gregor was scared that his tiny sister might get hurt. In chess, there was no danger of that. She had been instantly placed with all the advanced players, which were mostly seniors, and she was doing great.

Gregor tried to do his best to ignore the little bumps Angelina was throwing his way. They were subtle, but they were still noticeable. He was sure that if someone was paying attention, they could tell that Angelina was trying to flirt by the way she batted her eyes at him when she spoke or how she placed her hand on his thigh every once in a while.

His heart skipped a beat when he realized something. Luxa would probably be here with Aurora to see Henry and Ares play on the team. If Luxa saw them, would she misinterpret it like the way Ares had misunderstood what he had seen between Gregor and Aurora? He hoped she wouldn't.

But why was he hoping so much?

Gregor took another look around and saw that Luxa and Aurora were indeed sitting together, but they were a little off the right. As he caught sight of them, both girls instantly turned the other way. He knew that they were staring at him, and their effort to try and hide it was pitiful. It made Gregor smile, though, knowing that Luxa had been looking over at him. Whether she had seen the contact with Angelina or not, at least she had been staring.

Henry and Ares came out of the door that led to the locker rooms, leading the rest of the team out. Their arrival caused a loud cheer to go through the crowd on the bleachers. Whistles and yells were heard, and for a moment, Gregor couldn't even hear his own voice as he asked Angelina where Larry was at.

They finally saw him, smiling when they recognized their friend make it out to the gym. The entire team was wearing athletic clothes, very similar to what they wore for sports practice or gym class. Ripred had said something about not being able to buy uniforms until they were officially made a team by the school district. The coach was now on the gym floor with the players, barking out orders while the kids jogged around.

As they were stretching, Gregor heard a few low shouts and turned to see what was causing the displeasure among the bleachers. He made a face when he realized why. The other team had just shown up.

Gregor hadn't given much thought to who they were going to play, but now, he asked himself how he didn't see this coming. Of course Ripred would do something like this to them. Either win or be punished greatly for losing against your bitter rivals and sworn enemies.

The Fount.

The two high schools had been rivals since they were built. It wasn't a secret that they didn't like each other. Gregor had raced them a few times during track the year before, and he found them to be a bit snobbish and stuck up. He didn't really like them, and if they could beat them in dodgeball, then he would be more excited to see the game than he thought.

The Fount kids walked over to the other side of the gym and began getting ready. They stretched and warmed up quickly, keeping their faces blank to show that they were there for business. A large crowd had followed the Fount players off the buses and sat on the bleachers on the other side. They were all dressed in their own school colors, and a guy with paint all over his face jumped up and down on the bleachers, shirtless.

That guy had a lot a school spirit, but Gregor almost smiled when he realized that he was the best they could get to having a mascot. The Fount didn't have a costume for someone to wear and represent their school. Their school mascot, or symbol, he should say, were the Waterfalls.

What kind of a mascot was a Waterfall?

He knew that they weren't always supposed to be animals or people, but really? It made Gregor think of huge cascades that might need to be climbed in order to get to the Fount. It was true, the school was located up high, but they were up a ways out on a hill, not on a waterfall.

He looked over to his own side and saw his school's mascot running around, waving and putting his hand up to his ear, begging the crowd to cheer louder. He might not have a lot of school spirit, but he was definitely proud of his mascot.

They were the Regalia High Warriors.

The battle between rivals was no doubt the reason why everyone was there, and he began to smile. They really needed to beat them. Gregor didn't understand why he felt so ready to see the Fount lose.

The scoreboard that was used for the basketball games was being used to show time. In dodgeball, it wasn't really based on score, but time still played a part in the game. At the moment, however, it showed how much longer both teams had to warm up before the game started.

They only had a few more minutes before it began, and all of the players slowly walked over to their coaches for the last instructions. Ripred was probably giving them a pep talk, the same one he gave Gregor and the rest of the track team before a race.

The rules for the dodgeball game weren't too complicated. Each team had ten players, but only five would be out on the court at a time. The other five would be standing in a line on the outside of the line. As soon as one player was out, another one would replace him from the line. If a player caught a ball, one of the players who was already out could jump back into the line with the replacements, and the guy from the other team who had thrown it would be out.

When the buzzer rang to get ready for the game, Ripred ordered the players to sprint back and forth a couple of times on their half of the court to get their blood pumping. It was meant to get the players loosened out and get their oxygen running through their bodies. It was _not _meant to injure anyone right before the game started.

But that's exactly what happened.

On one of the sprints, Larry tried to turn at a high speed and twisted his ankle. Gregor saw it from the distance and winced while Angelina let out a gasp and covered her mouth with both hands. She put a hand on Gregor's shoulder and urged him to go see if Larry was alright. Gregor didn't need to be told twice. His friend was in trouble.

Gregor could hear Larry's yelps of pain before he got there. One of the other players was helping Larry off the court, letting Larry lean on him while Larry kept his arm around his neck. His ankle was sprained, and the swelling was kicking in fast. It was clear he wasn't going to play. Not today, at least.

"What are we going to do?" asked the kid after he had set Larry down on one of the bottom bleachers.

Ripred ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. I barely convinced ten kids to join. And we need ten. Otherwise, we have to forfeit. There's no one else that signed up."

Gregor looked over at Ripred and saw that the coach was truly upset. Out of everyone, Ripred did _not_ like the idea of losing to the Fount. He was a coach, but everyone knew the stories of Ripred as a student at Regalia High.

He was a very gifted athlete, and he succeeded at every sport he played. He was known as the guy who single handedly beat the Fount in the Basketball Championship Finals all four years he went to high school. They said that back then, it wasn't Regalia versus the Fount. It was _Ripred_ versus the Fount.

Larry turned his pain stricken face to the coach and said, "No. We don't have to forfeit. Gregor will go in for me."

Gregor turned his head to look at his friend in the eyes. "What?!"

"Please, Gregor? It'll only be for this one game. After that, I'll be better, and you wouldn't have to play anymore. Don't make us forfeit."

Shaking his head, he looked at the coach. Why did he have to make such a big decision? He wasn't even part of the team!

"Come on, boy. Only this game. Larry's right. When he gets better, you won't have to do this anymore. I just don't want to give _them_ such an easy win," he said as he pointed at the Fount players.

Gregor looked at his friend, then at the coach, then back to his friend. He sighed.

"Okay, fine. I'll do it."

What was he getting himself into?

"Thanks, man," said Larry, reaching his arm out to give him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Well then, hurry up!" ordered Ripred, not bothering to thank him. "The game is about to start. You need to get changed out!"

As Ripred changed his and Larry's names on the player sheet, Gregor ran to the locker room to get changed out. He only had his track stuff, but Ripred had said that it was fine. He hoped he could get there in time to be first. He knew Ares and Henry wanted to be last, and so did Ripred, since they were the star players. But just as he was putting his shirt on, the buzzer went off to start the game. Well, so much for that idea.

When Gregor made it back out to the gym, some of the guys were already out. Ripred yelled at him for being late, but in the end, all he could do was motion for him to get behind Henry on the line. As he approached the line, he could have sworn he heard Ripred yell something about how hits to the face were legal. When he got into position, Henry looked back at him but didn't say anything. It was obvious he didn't like not being the last one.

The team from the Fount was good. They took out almost everyone on Regalia's team within a short time. Before long, Ares and Henry ran into the action, and they started delivering bullets. The Fount instantly saw the change in game and began focusing their attention on the two new players.

On one play, Ares was taken out from a fast ball that came at Henry. Henry wasn't paying attention, and Ares took the hit for him. Gregor admired that kind of loyalty. It was obvious Ares respected Henry a lot to do that. But Henry never even looked at Ares or thanked him in any way. Gregor saw Ares drop his gaze a bit and walk to the line where all the guys who were out were standing.

Now it was Gregor's turn to go in.

He had secretly been hoping that Ares and Henry would take care of the rest of the Fount's team. It had been kind of exciting to watch to others drop like flies at the hands of Regalia's best players. From watching, he had seen that some of the players were protecting themselves from the dodgeballs that were flying at them with the ones that were rolling around on the ground. If something came his way, he would be able to deflect it with one of those. That's what he was going to do.

On his way to the back of his team's territory for a ball, the Fount's kids bombarded his team with throws, and when Gregor turned around with a ball in his hand, ready to protect himself, he realized that he was the only one left on his team.

"Do not throw anything! Protect yourself and try to catch them if they come close! If you catch them, more of us can go in!" he heard Henry shout at him.

Well, it seemed like a simple enough plan. All he had to do was make sure he didn't get hit. And if a ball came at a slow enough speed, he had to try and catch it to get more people on his team. Simple enough.

But something else happened.

Gregor was alone against four players from the Fount. As they pulled their arms back and aimed at him, something strange happened. His vision became fuzzy, almost as if it were blurring, but the players from the other team were clearly defined. These were his targets. Before he knew what was happening, he saw his arms and legs move in a combination of swift movements that he couldn't control. He felt himself jump, duck, and even felt a slight breeze as a dodgeball shot past his ear, missing him by a few centimeters.

When his vision came back, he was standing in the middle of his side's half court, panting softly. Gregor saw that everyone on the Fount's team was out, except for two. The two that were still standing had huge red marks on their faces, probably from getting hit with a ball there. But who had hit them? And why weren't they holding their hands to their faces?

They had shocked looks, which seemed to be the reason they cared for nothing else. But it still had to be painful, getting hit in the face. What was keeping them from doing it? They seemed to be too busy looking at…him?

After realizing that the players were indeed looking at him, Gregor noticed that it was strangely quiet. In fact, it was completely silent. Wasn't he in a gym packed with people?

He looked around and saw that everyone was staring at him. Everyone from Regalia _and_ the Fount. Angelina, Larry, Ripred, Henry, Ares, Aurora, and Luxa.

Everyone in the gym was looking at him with their eyes wide and their mouths open.

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**Ok, so how many of you have had that happen? I mean, when everybody just stares at you? I certainly have. I find this very funny, because I LOVE dodgeball. Thing is, I'm only good at half of it. I can dance around the whole time and never get hit, and I can catch 99% of the balls thrown at me, but I suck at throwing, and will always have my ball get caught. So, please follow, favorite, and review!**

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**Question: How will others (especially Luxa *wink wink*) respond to what Gregor did?**

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**Until next time,**

**-Tytonic**


	9. Chapter 9: Caught

**Hello, Fanfiction world! I had a lot of fun writing this one for some reason. Anyways, thanks for all the support, and like always, I'll work to get a chapter up every three days. Reviews are always appreciated. Hope you guys like it, and take care!**

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******Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Underland Chronicles, only the characters I make up and the plot itself.**

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**Regalia High**

**Chapter 9: Caught**

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After realizing that the players were indeed looking at him, Gregor noticed that it was strangely quiet. In fact, it was completely silent. Wasn't he in a gym packed with people?

He looked around and saw that everyone was staring at him. Everyone from Regalia _and_ the Fount. Angelina, Larry, Ripred, Henry, Ares, Aurora, and Luxa.

Everyone in the gym was looking at him with their eyes wide and their mouths open.

* * *

**-O-**

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The day after the dodgeball tournament was Gregor's celebrity day. He was greeted by absolutely everyone.

Random strangers would come up to him to shake his hand. Larry and Angelina told him in the morning that the entire school was talking about what he had done to the Fount. Because he couldn't get a break about his performance, Gregor's mind kept replaying the memory of the day before.

Something had happened to him that he still couldn't explain. Everything had blurred except for the other players. His body had become a machine, executing precise movements to get the job done. He needed to avoid being hit while trying to hit the other team's players. Gregor wasn't too sure why he had been so good at it. The only thing he knew was that he had done all of that, and that everyone was staring at him, not daring to move.

When the school got over their shock, the gym had exploded into loud cheers. At first, they were shouting the name of their mascot.

"Warriors! Warriors! Warriors!"

A few moments later, however, they soon turned into cheers that included his name. It was so strange to have all of those people say his name at once. People that didn't know him. People that would never pay attention to him otherwise. Yet there they were, cheering him on. Even weirder was the new nickname that the school had given him. They called him the warrior, after the mascot.

Now, here at school, he kept getting handshakes and enthusiastic pats on the back.

"Good morning, warrior."

"Hey, warrior! Nice to see you today!"

"That was a crazy game yesterday, warrior."

Gregor knew that the nickname would get annoying at some point, but right now, he was enjoying every second of his fame.

It wasn't until he got to lunch that he was finally able to get some time to talk to Larry and Angelina. He sat in his usual spot at the table with a tray completely packed with food. While he was in line and on his way to the table, Gregor was approached by more strangers who gave him food. He thought it was a bit strange and was hesitant, but in the end, he had accepted their gifts. Now, he had four burgers, two bags of chips, a pretzel, five cookies, and about three servings of fries. His friends and sister just looked at his tray with wide eyes as he set it down.

All of them spoke about the usual things. What movies were out, what concerts were coming soon, and the grades they had gotten recently on quizzes. When the subject of the dodgeball tournament came up, everyone got silent.

After a moment, Gregor broke the silence.

"Was it really that big a deal?"

Angelina nodded, and even Lizzie, who had only heard of what had happened, gave her brother a look. It was the same look she had given him all day at home after the tournament. She had found out about it almost immediately. The social media was something that could spread rumors quickly, but it also spread the truth like wildfire. And the fact that Gregor had taken on the best players from the Fount by himself in such an extraordinary way was a truth. A big one.

"Dude, it was like watching a professional play against a bunch of little kids," said Larry.

"Oh."

It was all Gregor could say. He hadn't thought much about how it had looked to others. He had only thought about what he had felt himself do, and how it had been all too natural. Like he had done it before. Not knowing that he could do something like that amazed him, and although he would never admit it to any of his friends, it also scared him.

"I didn't know you could move that quick. Or that you could throw harder than Ares and Henry. And that backflip!"

"Backflip?" asked Gregor, putting his food down to look at his friend. He hadn't heard anything about a backflip.

"Yea! You backflipped over a ball and then hit the guy in the face before you even landed!"

"I don't remember that."

"Well that's too bad, because it was the coolest things I've ever seen."

"It was pretty cool," admitted Angelina. "But I think I enjoyed the look on Henry's face even more."

"I swear he looked like he wanted to run away. He thought he would get all the credit for winning just like when he plays football or basketball," added Larry.

"I'm just happy you weren't hurt," said Lizzie.

"Speaking of hurt," began Gregor. "How are you feeling, Larry?"

"My foot's still a little swollen. I think it might be a few more days before it gets better, but it's not like it matters."

"Why not?" asked Angelina.

"Because I'm quitting so that Gregor can take my place," he said.

"What?!" shouted Gregor, causing a few people from the nearby tables to look their way. After they had turned back to their own table and weren't staring anymore, Gregor continued. "What are you talking about?"

Larry leaned in. "Gregor, whether you wanted to play or not, you did a great job. No one wants me to play. Hell, I don't even want to play anymore. Not when I can sit back and enjoy watching you beat every team the way you beat the Fount yesterday. Everyone wants to see you again, and I'm not an exception."

Gregor was too angry to say anything. They said all he had to do was play that one time. Now he was being pushed into an entire season of that. It wouldn't be such a bad idea, especially since he had accepted that he was really good at it, but he enjoyed running track more.

Looking down, he only focused on his food and kept quiet. The rest of the group noticed that he was upset, and they didn't try to include him in the rest of the conversations.

He thought of Ripred, and how the coach had been there at the gym the day before. Knowing him, Gregor guessed that part of Larry's decision was probably influenced by the coach. It was exactly the kind of thing that Ripred would do to keep a player that made him win. Especially if that win had been against the Fount. Gregor decided he would talk to the coach at practice later that day about not playing so that Larry could be on the team again. His friend had been so excited, and Gregor was not about to just take his place.

The frown on his face stayed there the rest of the day. That is, it stayed until after school, where something happened.

Gregor was putting his books away and getting his backpack. Luxa was at her locker, but she kept her door up so that there was something between them, and they weren't able to see the other's face. Lizzie wasn't there, and her locker remained closed.

Just as Gregor was about to close the door to his locker, a girl approached him and leaned on Lizzie's locker. Gregor looked over and immediately recognized her. Her name was Stellovet, and she was the head cheerleader at Regalia High. Luxa might have been asked out a lot, but it was nothing compared to how much Stellovet was asked out. She was a senior, and though there were rumors that she wasn't the nicest person, Stellovet was absolutely gorgeous.

And now, she was staring at Gregor with a smile on her face.

"Gregor, is it?" she said in a voice that almost made Gregor drool.

"Yea," he choked out, barely keeping himself from stuttering.

"You were amazing yesterday." Stellovet rested her back on the locker, turning her head to stare at him with beautiful batting eyes.

"Thanks," he said. He realized he might look like an idiot with the grin he had on his face at the moment, but he didn't care.

"I didn't know anyone could be so good at sports. Much better than the guys that play sports already. It must be your muscles," she said, reaching out and softly placing one hand on Gregor's bicep. "You must work out a lot."

"Not really," said Gregor. Track practice was all he did. After running for hours, he was usually too tired or had too much homework to want to go to a gym.

"Cute _and_ modest," said Stellovet, taking her hand off his arm to pull back a strand of hair that had fallen over her face. She didn't remove her hand, however, and started twirling her index finger in her hair. "When you aren't too busy working out, maybe you and I can hang out. Alone."

At Stellovet's words, Gregor heard Luxa's locker door violently slam shut. He looked over to see Luxa turn to leave. When she slammed her door, though, one of the straps from her backpack got caught, and Luxa was forced to open her locker again to free her backpack.

Her pale skin was red, and Gregor could immediately tell that she was angry. He didn't know why until he looked at her eyes.

Luxa was jealous.

Before she could leave, Gregor turned back to Stellovet with a grin.

"I'll make sure to let you know," he told her.

"Great," said Stellovet, and she turned to walk away, smiling over her shoulder at him. "See you around."

Without turning to see Luxa as she struggled to open her locker, Gregor closed his own and walked away, still grinning. He didn't know what was better. That the prettiest girl in school had basically just asked him out, or that Luxa had been jealous over it.

He thought about it on his way to the locker room and decided the second one was probably better.

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

The next day, his luck turned completely around. Things went bad. Really, really bad.

It started off better than most days, though. Gregor woke to the smell of pancakes and bacon. When he got to the kitchen, his sisters were already eating. His mom had the morning off from work and had made them their favorite breakfast. He happily ate, still thinking about the day before.

Luxa had definitely been jealous. There was no other way to explain her behavior. With that in mind, practice went by so much smoother. Instead of being tormented by the thought of her, Gregor was able to run with ease.

It made it easier that Ripred wasn't there yelling at him. The bad thing about Ripred's absence was that Gregor couldn't talk to him about the strange thing that had happened to him at the dodgeball game. If anyone could help with that, it would be him.

As he approached the school, more people that he still didn't know greeted him. He was sure they had come up to him before, and some of them even looked familiar. Luxa wasn't at her locker, but it didn't matter. Nothing could make him forget what he had seen in her eyes.

They were in Mrs. Miravet's class when things went wrong.

Mrs. Miravet surprised the class with a pop quiz. One that apparently no one had prepared for judging by the amount of groans the class let out.

"From what I hear, I can take a guess and say you haven't been studying," said Mrs. Miravet. "Hopefully, this will serve as a wake-up call for most of you."

Gregor wasn't too worried about it. The stuff they were learning in math wasn't too hard, and he was sure he could do well enough to pass. Without complaining, he took out a pencil from his pocket and put his things under his seat. He waited quietly while Mrs. Miravet handed out the quizzes.

Out of the corner of his eye, Gregor could see Luxa and Aurora whisper quietly to each other. They didn't have tests yet, and they were being pretty quiet, but he could tell that Luxa was worried.

When everyone finally had their tests, the room became completely silent. Just as Gregor had guessed, the quiz wasn't too hard. Most of the problems had to do with things he recognized, but there were a few that he left blank. He wanted to do as much as he could. He would go back to do those later.

The quiz was timed, so Gregor needed to work through it as quickly as he could. As always, no one bothered putting their name on it. Everyone in class started on the quiz as soon as they got it and Gregor could hear pencils scribbling madly all around him.

About halfway through the quiz, Gregor started going back to the ones he skipped over. His eyes wandered the room, trying to remember the formulas needed for one of the problems. As he looked around, he saw Luxa tap Aurora softly on the shoulder.

Aurora did her best to look over discretely, not drawing the attention from Mrs. Miravet. Luxa held the number three up on the fingers on one hand and Aurora turned her paper over and moved her head to the side slightly to let Luxa look at it. Gregor realized Aurora was giving Luxa the answers. It was something they had probably done before.

Luxa leaned over her desk a bit to get a better look of the paper but couldn't see. She even squinted a bit. After a few seconds, she gave up and sat back in her seat. Gregor saw Luxa tap on Aurora's shoulder again and hold out her hand.

Aurora nodded hesitantly and took her paper, holding it out so that Luxa could take it. At that moment, Mrs. Miravet shifted in her seat, causing both girls to look over at her. Luxa was already reaching for Aurora's paper, and turning to look at the teacher kept her eyes off the paper. Luxa didn't realize that the paper was a lot closer than she had thought, and her hand ran into it, causing the paper to crumple a bit and make noise.

The paper dropped from Aurora's hand, as she was startled by the noise. Luxa stopped reaching for the paper and looked down at her own. Mrs. Miravet looked over to their side of the room and cleared her throat. She stood up and began walking over to them.

Gregor looked at Luxa with disbelief. Was she just going to sit there? Was she not even going to try and get the paper from the floor? Luxa was the one that was desperate for help, but she was just going to sit there and let Aurora get in trouble with her.

Aurora wasn't his friend, but unlike Luxa, she wasn't mean to him. She had actually wanted for things between him and Luxa to get better. Sure, people should get in trouble for cheating, but seeing how Luxa was doing nothing for Aurora when Aurora had done so much for her made Gregor mad.

Before he thought too much about it, Gregor leaned over and handed Aurora his test. She needed a test, and he would get hers from the floor, which had landed a lot closer to him than it had to her. If Mrs. Miravet asked, he would say that the problems were hard and that he had crumpled his paper in frustration. The reason why he had leaned down was to grab his pencil, which he had dropped.

Aurora looked up when he gave her his paper, and he gave her a small smile, trying to ease the panicked expression that she had on her face. Gregor looked down to grab her paper from the floor but saw that Luxa had taken it. She was already on her way to get it when Gregor had given Aurora his paper. When she realized what he did, her ears turned red. Now, things had just gotten real complicated.

When Mrs. Miravet came to the group of students, she saw Luxa with two papers and Gregor without one. It wasn't rocket science to figure out what was happening.

Without a word, she took both papers from Luxa's desk. Every other kid in class had stopped writing and were now looking at them.

"Just the two of you?" she asked them, though the answer was obvious.

"Wait," said Aurora, and Gregor's jaw dropped.

Was she about to tell Mrs. Miravet that the cheating was between her and Luxa? He couldn't believe it. It was actually the right thing to do. But Aurora was too nice, and he wasn't about to let her get in trouble because of Luxa.

"It's okay, Aurora. You turned me down for the answers when I asked. You shouldn't get in trouble with us," he blurted out.

Both Aurora and Luxa turned to look at him. Aurora was scared, but Luxa was looking at him with a look that combined anger and curiosity.

Mrs. Miravet gave Luxa and Gregor a disapproving look.

"Both of you have a zero for this." She turned to walk away, the quizzes in her hand, before stopping and turning back to look at them again.

"And you will stay after class so that we may discuss your punishment."

* * *

**I just don't understand what people find so hard about math. . . It's my strongest subject, and I'm taking 10th grade math, and I'm only in 8th grade (well school ended, so technically 9th). I just feel like I am surrounded by idiots in my school. I love how the whole rager thing was incorporated. And oh! Luxa jealous and Stellovet going for Gregor! This is just getting too good, my god. Can't wait for the next chapter!**

* * *

**Question: what will their punishment be?**

* * *

**Until next time,**

**-Tytonic **


	10. Chapter 10: Punishment

**Hey everyone! Here's the next chapter, and I hope you guys like it! This isn't too eventful, but I tried to keep it exciting. Thanks to everyone who keeps supporting the story. You guys are awesome! Reviews are always appreciated, so thanks to those of you who take the time to write. Also, if you have a question about the story or something, please PM me. The next chapter will be up in a few days. Take care!**

**-Skychip**

* * *

******Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Underland Chronicles, only the characters I make up and the plot itself.**

* * *

**Regalia High**

**Chapter 10: Punishment**

* * *

Mrs. Miravet gave Luxa and Gregor a disapproving look.

"Both of you have a zero for this." She turned to walk away, the quizzes in her hand, before stopping and turning back to look at them again.

"And you will stay after class so that we may discuss your punishment."

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

It was a long time before Mrs. Miravet spoke. For a few moments, all she did was stare at Gregor and Luxa while they stood in front of her desk, waiting for her to break the silence. Neither of them were brave enough to do it for her.

Every other kid in class was gone, eager to escape what was sure to come. They had just witnessed two people get in trouble for cheating, and they didn't want to be anywhere near there.

Of course, Gregor hadn't been cheating, but he couldn't admit that to Mrs. Miravet. Telling her the truth would mean condemning Aurora, and he couldn't let that happen. Sure, she was guilty of trying to give Luxa some answers, but in his mind, Luxa was the one to blame.

Maybe it was the fact that Luxa had been so ready to let Aurora get in trouble. It could also be that Luxa wasn't as nice to him as Aurora. If she were nicer and didn't go around ignoring Gregor, maybe he would feel less angry with her. But she wasn't nice, and Aurora was, so it wasn't that hard to make a choice between the two.

Now, he was here standing in front of the teacher, trying not to shake as he waited for her to say something. Gregor had been in trouble before, but they were all small things. Once, in elementary, he'd been in trouble for bringing sharpies to school. Many other times, he had gotten detention for gum, or not doing his homework, or talking during class with Larry or Angelina.

But this was a lot worse than all of that put together.

Gregor glanced over at Luxa to see how she was doing. Her skin was still red with anger, but he could tell that she was scared too. He couldn't tell if her trembling hands were due to the anger or the fear, though. It almost made Gregor smile, knowing that Luxa was scared.

"I am extremely disappointed in both of you."

Mrs. Miravet's words caused any thoughts of smiling to vanish, and Gregor dropped his gaze to stare at his shoes.

"Cheating is not tolerated in this school. And it is especially not tolerated in my classroom," she continued.

Gregor felt like he wanted to disappear. The moment he had gotten the idea to take the blame for Aurora, he hadn't thought about how it would make Mrs. Miravet feel. She said she felt disappointed, and somehow, it felt worse than if she would have said that she was just mad. It made him feel guilty.

Apparently, Luxa thought the same, because Gregor saw her tense up at the teacher's words. Luxa never got into much trouble either, as far as Gregor knew. Perhaps this was the first time getting in trouble for something major as well.

"You know," said Mrs. Miravet, "The penalty for cheating is to receive a zero and have no way of making it up. You would then be sent to the office, where you will have a nice chat with the principal, and he would then call your parents so that you can all discuss what happened here today."

Gregor felt as if his heart had dropped down to his stomach. He didn't want his mom involved in this! She would probably understand why he did what he did after a few days of explaining, but to call her meant to pull her out of work and drag her in for an embarrassing talk with the principal.

Turning slightly to look at Luxa, Gregor saw that she had turned even paler than usual. She was so pale, in fact, that he could see some of her veins. It was really weird, but for some reason, it kind of fit her.

"What do you two think of this?"

Mrs. Miravet never took her eyes off them, and Gregor couldn't look up to meet her gaze. He forced himself to shake his head. After a few moments, he saw that Luxa did the same. At their response, Mrs. Miravet leaned back in her padded black chair, closed her eyes, and sighed heavily. She then opened her eyes again and looked at the two students once more.

"I have heard the rumors that spread through the hallways about Ms. Solovet."

That caused both Gregor and Luxa to look up at Mrs. Miravet. What was she talking about?

"Contrary to what some people might think, she is not all bad. She is just a complicated person. Her ways of teaching are intense and her modes of discipline are harsh, but they are effective. No one dares do anything in her class, and the amount of studying she gives for homework helps students remember more. A lot of teachers wish to be more like her."

Mrs. Miravet stopped to look at them while those words sank in. Did this mean she was going to send them to the principal and then be as strict as Ms. Solovet when they got back from probably being suspended?

"I wish to be more like her in a sense that allows more students to be disciplined in the class. But, I would not like to be as strict in punishment. I struggled in school when I was young, and I believe there should always be an opportunity to right your wrongs."

Now Gregor was completely confused. Just when he thought he knew what was going on, Mrs. Miravet would turn things around again. The look on Luxa's face showed she had no idea what was going on either.

"What do the two of you know about the school theatre?"

What? The school theatre? Why in the world…

"In case you don't know, the theatre club here on campus is a bit short on people."

Gregor nodded. He actually did know that. Angelina was always in school plays, but now that they were in high school, she was taking a course that helped her get a head start on medical training before she went to college. She had said something about it being worth it, since it would help her get a scholarship. The bad part, though, was that she had to leave right after school and couldn't do theatre anymore.

"They have a play coming up in a few weeks, and a little help would be much appreciated. I will be in contact with the teacher there, and you will report everyday after school until the play and help with whatever they need. If I receive a good word from this, you will get a B for the quiz, and your parents and the principal will never find out about what you two did."

Gregor didn't know what to do. Painting stage sets and carrying stuff around for the kids there was not something he wanted to do for the next few weeks. But it was a lot better than making his mom come in and talk to the principal about him "cheating."

He nodded again, and Luxa joined him this time. Mrs. Miravet smiled and placed both her hands on her desk.

"Very well then. I will send word that both of you will be there after school. But before you leave, you must promise never to cheat again. The only reason I am doing this is because I know neither of you are bad people. Sometimes we just make mistakes."

"I promise," said Gregor and Luxa in unison.

"Excellent. I am not exactly sure when they meet up on stage, but ask someone who knows or that is in the theatre club already and make sure you are there on time. You may go now."

"Mrs. Miravet, what exactly will we be doing?" Gregor really wanted to know.

"I don't know," replied Mrs. Miravet. "That is up to Mrs. Cormaci."

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

The day went by slower than ever. Gregor was dreading the moment when he had to go spend time with Luxa. He couldn't help but hate her a bit right now. If it weren't for her, he would be home. But now, he was in one of the seats in a back room, where he was told to wait for Mrs. Cormaci.

Gregor had been able to go to track practice, contrary to what he thought. He asked Angelina earlier about the theatre club, and apparently, theatre met later on in the day, well after practice had ended. Mrs. Cormaci was a teacher, and she needed the time right after school to grade papers and stuff.

At the sound of the door, Gregor turned his head to see Mrs. Cormaci, but it wasn't her. Instead, Luxa walked in with a frown and sat on the opposite side of the room in a chair. The room was supposed to be a dressing room or something like that, and it wasn't very big. Neither of them said anything, and they sat there in silence for a moment.

"Why did you do it?" Luxa blurted out.

Gregor was surprised that she had actually spoken, and he turned slowly to look at her. The anger on Luxa's face was mixed with curiosity.

"I don't know."

"Do you like her?" asked Luxa, tilting her head to the side a bit.

"Of course I like her. She's the only that's nice to me."

"That is not what I meant."

"What did you mean then."

"You know very well what I meant," she said, her voice rising.

Gregor resisted the urge to yell. "Why do you care?"

The question took her by surprise. She quickly pulled herself together. "I do not."

"Then stay out of what I do."

"That is impossible, considering you just got us into this mess."

"Me?!" cried Gregor, no longer holding back. "You were the one that wanted the answers! You made all that noise and the paper dropped, and when I tried to help you out, you took the paper and got me in trouble too!"

"I would have been perfectly fine if you had not given Aurora your paper! It was your fancy for Aurora that got you into this, not me!" she hollered back.

"My what? I don't like Aurora that way! You're just jealous!"

Luxa snorted. "Jealous? Me? Do not flatter yourself."

"That was perfect!" came a voice from somewhere in the room. Both Gregor and Luxa turned to see Mrs. Cormaci standing there with her hands clasped together and a large grin on her face. Gregor realized their loud argument had distracted them enough to not notice someone else come into the room.

"What?" asked Gregor, trying to calm his pulse. His blood was still pumping furiously, and he could hear Luxa's loud breathing.

"It was excellent! You get the parts. Both of you!"

Gregor was done being confused for the day. First, Mrs. Miravet had confused them, and now, Mrs. Cormaci was making no sense.

"What are you talking about?"

"The audition! It was perfect! The chemistry between you two is almost unbearable!"

Gregor looked at Luxa and saw that she was staring at Mrs. Cormaci with her mouth slightly open in disbelief.

"You two will have the lead roles. I have been looking for two students to take those roles, but I haven't had any luck. You two, however, are simply amazing."

"No," said Luxa, moving closer to Mrs. Cormaci with an arm extended, as if she were trying to slow the teacher down. "We are not actors. We were sent by Mrs. Miravet to help out."

"I am aware, but the way you two work together is perfect! Besides, I was told that you two would do anything I asked regarding the play. And I need two actors. Unless you would like me to tell Mrs. Miravet that you were uncooperative."

Gregor couldn't believe his luck. He wasn't an actor! He was just mad at Luxa! That wasn't chemistry, and he sure as hell didn't want to work on anything with her. But he couldn't afford to get sent back to Mrs. Miravet. That would mean principals and parents…

"No, I'll do it," said Gregor softly.

Luxa folded her arms across her chest and didn't say anything, but she nodded.

"Great!" cried Mrs. Cormaci, the grin instantly back on her face. "You will need to be here everyday at a certain time. Let me fill you in on the roles."

The more Mrs. Cormaci talked, the more Gregor dreaded his luck. As she explained, it was clear that something was out to get him and make his life miserable. Even though there were a lot of things that went into being an actor, it was one thing in particular that gave him a headache.

It wasn't the fact that he would have to be at school until very late everyday for the next few weeks. It wasn't that he would have to dress up in a weird costume to perform in front of hundreds of people when the day of the play actually came. It was his role that affected him the most.

Luxa's pale face was something Gregor was now getting used to seeing. Not her normal pale face, but the one that showed her veins off. It was a color she acquired whenever she was really bothered by something. She wasn't taking the news about her role lightly either.

And for good reason.

Gregor was supposed to be a sailor from back in the 1600's. He sails off from England one day with a purpose to see America. He gets lost during a storm and ends up far away lost somewhere.

Luxa was supposed to be the girlfriend that Gregor left in England that he promised to return to and marry. In the end, he does, and they live happily ever after. And it was that which bothered them the most.

Gregor and Luxa were going to have to be a couple.

* * *

**Well, I don't know whether to feel good or bad for Gregor and Luxa. We all know they love each other, and just don't know it yet. So, it makes me wonder what will happen here, with them spending so much time together, and possibly having to kiss. I realize that I forgot the question last chapter, and now I feel like an idiot. Sorry about that, I'll fix it ASAP.**

* * *

**Question: How will this effect their relationship? I know some of you will take this the wrong way. Relationship does not mean they are in love, they currently have a very bad relationship.**

* * *

**Until next time,**

**-Tytonic**


	11. Chapter 11: Truce

**Hey everyone! Happy Fourth of July! I mean, if you celebrate it. If you don't… well then… happy Friday. Anyways, here's the next chapter. This is where things start turning around. Sorta. I hope you guys like it. Really appreciate the support, and the reviews are great. Thanks to everyone, as always, and thanks to Tytonic, who has trusted me with this awesome idea of a story. If you guys go out for the holiday weekend, stay safe. See you guys next time!**

**-Skychip**

* * *

******Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Underland Chronicles, only the characters I make up and the plot itself.**

* * *

**Regalia High**

**Chapter 11: Truce**

* * *

Gregor was supposed to be a sailor from back in the 1600's. He sails off from England one day with a purpose to see America. He gets lost during a storm and ends up far away lost somewhere.

Luxa was supposed to be the girlfriend that Gregor left in England that he promised to return to and marry. In the end, he does, and they live happily ever after. And it was that which bothered them the most.

Gregor and Luxa were going to have to be a couple.

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

The first day of rehearsals was absolutely horrible.

Gregor and Luxa were led into a large stage with some of the set pieces already in place. Other pieces were still off to the side behind the curtains. Some of the students were painting them, and thought they looked exhausted, Gregor felt jealous of them. What he would give to be in their place at that moment.

After a quick introduction from Mrs. Cormaci in which she told the other theatre kids about him and Luxa, Gregor was sent to the center of the stage to begin his rehearsing with Luxa.

Neither of the two ever even made eye contact. The anger was too much, and they didn't care how it looked like to the other actors or to Mrs. Cormaci.

Gregor and Luxa spent the entire time reading from their scripts and avoiding eye contact. The excuse that they didn't know their lines was valid for about half an hour, but after that, when it was time to repeat the scenes, it became obvious they didn't want to look at each other. They kept their eyes glued to the paper in their hands and did as little touching as possible.

Whenever Gregor hugged Luxa, he only patted her awkwardly on the back, and she only touched him over his clothes, never holding his arm or making contact with his skin. Which was perfectly fine with him.

The good news about all of this was that Gregor found out he didn't actually have to kiss Luxa. It was only a small relief though, because they still had to hold each other in loving embraces and pretend to be madly in love.

When Gregor read his lines, they sounded just like Luxa's. Every line sounded forced. He was pretty sure he said some of the lines through clenched teeth. Luxa was positively fuming while she said her lines, and sometimes she even coughed to cover some of the lines that were the most uncomfortable to say.

After a while, the other actors started giving them strange looks. Though it was obvious that they were dying of curiosity to know why Gregor and Luxa didn't get along, they didn't ask. Gregor thought that maybe they understood neither of them were in a good mood.

Things stayed the same throughout the first hour of rehearsal until Mrs. Cormaci finally got their attention.

"What is the matter with you two?" she asked.

Luxa didn't say anything and Gregor simply shrugged.

"Well, this isn't going to work unless you put a little more effort into it."

Gregor finally found Luxa's gaze, and her eyes were radiating anger.

"Remember, I have seen you both act before. You were absolutely wonderful! How about we try and work for that kind of chemistry again?"

Mrs. Cormaci's words caused both of them to roll their eyes, but this time, the teacher noticed. She folded her arms over her chest, tapping the ground impatiently with her foot.

"If it truly wasn't acting and you were only mad at each other, then I suggest you reach deep inside and learn how to work together. After all, this is for a grade. And I have no problem letting Mrs. Miravet know about this."

That got Gregor's face to turn serious again. He was so caught up in his dislike towards Luxa at the moment that he had forgotten the real reason he was there. Gregor had accepted to help the theatre club because he didn't want to get in trouble for cheating. Of course, that would mean exposing Aurora, who was the person he was getting in trouble for.

And the worst part of that scenario would be that his mom would be involved, being called out of work to talk to the principal. So Gregor decided that this was a lot better than all of that. He could try a little harder.

The acting improved, even from Luxa, and Gregor wondered what Luxa's reason was to not get in trouble. He didn't know much about her, but her reason must have been just as important as Gregor's to accept doing this.

Though it was better, it wasn't by much. Mrs. Cormaci kept an unsatisfied look on her face for the rest of rehearsals. By the end, both Gregor and Luxa were frustrated and tired, and they gladly went their separate ways.

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

Gregor collapsed as soon as he reached his bed. Having both track practice and rehearsal was completely exhausting. He hadn't been lying down for long before Lizzie came into his room.

"Bad rehearsal today?" she asked quietly.

"How did you know?" he replied.

"You don't look to happy."

"Is it that obvious?" he asked.

"Yea. But even if I couldn't tell by how you look, it's everywhere," said Lizzie.

"What do you mean?" he groaned. He didn't know if being tired could cause other people's words to not make any sense.

Lizzie responded by pulling her phone out of her pocket and holding it up for him to see.

"Oh," was all he could say. He hadn't thought of how easy it was for one of the other actors to post something about how he and Luxa had done at rehearsal.

Lizzie looked at him curiously. "Is it true you rejected her?"

"What?" he asked, leaning up on his elbows to get a better look at her. "Rejected who?"

"Luxa," she said, sitting down at the foot of his bed and looking down at her phone. "There's a rumor that she tried asking you out after the dodgeball tournament and that you turned her down, and that's why she hates you."

"That's not true."

"Well, that's what they're saying."

"Who?"

"Everyone."

Gregor sighed. High school was just too complicated sometimes. He was getting more than he could handle.

Lizzie seemed to understand that he didn't want to talk anymore, so she left his room after a moment, only stopping at the door to give him a quick glance before leaving. Gregor closed his eyes and fell into a sleep that he gladly welcomed.

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

School the next day was just like any other. It was funny how things had become so normal at that point. Luxa would ignore him and Ares would stare at him. There would be no violence from either of them, but it was still strange.

Strange, but normal.

Ms. Solovet's class went by slowly, especially since she handed out about six detentions throughout the class. Every time she handed out a detention, Gregor was grateful that his "cheating" incident hadn't happened in Ms. Solovet's class.

If it had happened there, he and Luxa would definitely be suspended. His mother would have been brought into this, and he would have been in major trouble.

Mr. Vikus had a short life lesson ready for them when they walked into class. All Mr. Vikus' class time allowed for was a short message, along with any other announcements from the school. This time, he spoke of procrastination.

He told them a story about how some guy had always put off fixing his boat, and in the end, it became too much and he couldn't fix it in time, so he drowned. Gregor thought it was a bit extreme for Mr. Vikus to tell them a story that ended with death, but he guessed not all stories had happy endings. It might be important, and it might have a good message, but people still had to die sometimes.

Maybe that's where his story would end. Hopefully not with death, but maybe it would end in a bad situation with a bad ending. With all the stuff that was happening so far, it might even be a relief. It didn't matter if it was a bad ending or a good one. Gregor just wanted all of this to be over.

Math was a little easier than usual. Graphs and charts weren't the hardest things in the world, and he could tell that the other kids thought so as well. Mrs. Miravet gave them a few minutes after the lesson was over to start on their homework, and Gregor was able to finish his worksheet pretty quickly.

When the bell rang, Gregor let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding in and rose quickly from his seat. Just as he was picking up his things, Mrs. Miravet gave an announcement to the class.

"I will be in the Math Lab this afternoon to help with anything you may be confused about. If you're having trouble with the class, I suggest you make your way over there." She paused to look over at Gregor and Luxa. "And you two, stay after class."

Luxa dropped her things as soon as she heard Mrs. Miravet's words. On impulse, Gregor turned to look at Luxa, and she turned to meet his gaze. Luxa had a look of dread on her face, and slowly, they turned to Mrs. Miravet's desk and walked over to it while everyone else exited the room.

Angelina turned to give Gregor a questioning look, similar to the one Aurora gave Luxa. In the end, though, all they could do was walk out of the room, leaving Gregor and Luxa with Mrs. Miravet.

Both of them stood silently and a bit awkwardly in front of her. The teacher laid both elbows on the desk and buried her face in her hands. After a moment, she sighed heavily and looked up at them from her seat.

"The report of your effort yesterday was given to me by Mrs. Cormaci. I must say, I was disappointed, to say the least. I thought that if I tried to help you, the two of you would try to turn things around and strive to fix things. You could have been punished, but I decided to give you an opportunity to not receive the low grade. I fail to understand your lack of motivation. So please," she said, gesturing to them with her hands. "Tell me."

Luxa, once again, had that extra pale look on her face. She didn't seem like she could speak. But Gregor saw something else in her eyes. Before, when they had first gotten in trouble, he could see hatred towards him and anger of the situation. Now, he saw sadness and fear.

Why? He didn't know, but for some reason, it made her seem almost… innocent. Gregor felt a lump in his throat, and he wondered why he felt so protective over her. He didn't even like her. In fact, he kind of hated her right now. It was her fault they were in this.

But seeing her sadness changed something in him. If she had turned to ask him to lie for her, he knew he would do it in an instant. He would do anything he could to keep the sadness away from her. Of course, Luxa would never ask him to do that.

Somehow, that made him want to help her even more.

Gregor decided to do the same thing he did with Aurora. He didn't want to think too much about what he was about to do, and before he could talk himself out of it, he spoke up.

"Luxa wasn't feeling well yesterday. It's not her fault."

Luxa, who was looking down at the floor, turned her head slightly towards him with narrowed eyes. The look of curiosity was very subtle, but he noticed it. She knew it wasn't the truth, but she didn't say anything.

"Not feeling well?" asked Mrs. Miravet, raising her eyebrows at Gregor. It was clear she hadn't expected that answer. Whether she knew the real reason or not, she only kept her eyes on him and continued. "Is that a reason to be completely infuriated with each other throughout the entire rehearsal?"

"She was mad because I told her to try harder. I didn't believe her when she said she was feeling sick. I thought she wasn't trying on purpose because she was mad."

Mrs. Miravet looked at the two of them several times back and forth before sighing again.

"I suppose your efforts will demonstrate a much better attitude today, then. The better you do on the play, the better your grade will be. It's possible to get an A, if you two try hard enough."

Luxa looked up at her in surprise after hearing this. "Really?"

"Yes. They really need the help. If they don't do a good job this year, the district will cut their funding."

"Why do you want to help them so much?" asked Gregor.

"I became the math teacher when the previous instructor retired. Before I took over, I was head of the theatre department. I may not be so involved anymore, but I still take pride in them, and I will do anything I can to make sure they don't get left in the dark by the district."

Gregor and Luxa nodded in understanding.

"I'm glad the two of you could work something out," she continued. "And," she said, looking at Luxa, "I hope you are feeling much better today."

The look Mrs. Miravet gave Luxa told Gregor that she hadn't believed anything from what she'd just heard. But if Mrs. Miravet knew they were lying, why hadn't she called them out on it?

Mrs. Miravet gestured them away with a soft motion of her hand and the two of them turned to walk away. As they walked through the hallway, Gregor could feel Luxa's eyes on him, but he didn't turn to her. She was just probably going to tell him that she didn't need him to get out of trouble and that she could take care of herself. He walked ahead of her and left her behind, not waiting to see if she was going to yell at him.

While Gregor was standing in the lunch line, he thought of what would happen that day. He had promised Mrs. Miravet that he would try harder at rehearsal, and he knew Luxa was forced to try harder as well.

But that meant he had to stare into her eyes while he said he loved her. It was one thing to say it, but he had do it in a way that made everyone who watched the play think that he actually meant it. Could he really do that?

Gregor grabbed his tray and started walking towards his lunch table, where Larry, Angelina, and Lizzie were waiting for him.

Before he got there, he caught sight of Luxa. He was surprised to see her by herself at lunch, but even more surprised to see that she was walking towards him. If she meant to yell at him for what he said in Mrs. Miravet's class, he didn't want to be near his friends. There was no need to get them involved in one of his and Luxa's screaming matches.

Instead of walking faster towards his table and trying to avoid her, Gregor stood in place and waited for her. The look on her face showed that she was genuinely surprised that he was waiting, but she had her serious expression back in no time.

When she was finally right in front of him, he raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to speak. She was the one that had come to him, so he wasn't going to be the one to start the conversation. He decided to wait and see how long it took her to say something.

Luxa looked around at the students that were now staring from nearby tables. No doubt she had heard the rumors Lizzie had told Gregor about, and she looked uneasy. It was making him a bit uncomfortable too. Luxa turned back to him and spoke in a cool, collected voice.

"Perhaps we should speak somewhere more private."

Gregor nodded, though he was a bit confused. What did she want to speak to him about? Didn't she sort of hate him right now too? Whatever it was, Gregor followed her out of the cafeteria.

While they walked out, he noticed the look Angelina shot Luxa. It wasn't a very nice look, and Gregor frowned at her. When Angelina saw his face, she instantly turned red and went back to talking with Larry. Gregor was sure Luxa had seen Angelina's stare, but she kept walking without so much as a second look.

Luxa's table also noticed that Gregor and Luxa were leaving together. Aurora gave him a warm smile and a small wave as he passed by. Now, it was Luxa's turn to shoot the death stare, and Aurora only looked down. Ares, who had been sitting next to Aurora, saw her greet Gregor and only turned away, his jaw muscle clenched.

It was honestly too much to take in, and Gregor just focused on following Luxa. They walked to a hallway far from the lunch area, where the sounds of people talking and laughing were drowned out by the distance. Whether Luxa was friendly or hostile at the moment, he agreed that it was better if no one was nearby.

When Luxa had chosen a place good enough, she slowed to a stop and turned to face him. Her expression was still serious, but her eyes showed a bit of nervousness. After a moment of standing around, she sat on the carpet floor with her legs crossed and put her styrofoam tray in front of her.

"Would you like to take a seat?" she asked, motioning to the spot on the floor right in front of her.

Slowly, Gregor lowered his tray and sat in front of Luxa, never letting his eyes leave her face. He was looking for something that would tell him what her true intentions were. She was being too nice, and he felt a bit wary of her behavior.

"I know that I have been blaming you for the situation we are in with the theatre club."

Gregor nodded, a bit surprised that she was starting the conversation this way.

"But it is not true. You are not to blame. It was my fault."

Again, Gregor nodded. He wondered if she was doing all of this to ask a favor of him. Usually when people were overly nice, they wanted something.

"You judge me for trying to get some answers from Aurora, and more for being unsure whether to help get her out of trouble or not."

"She's your friend," he said simply. "She was so ready to take the blame with you."

Now it was Luxa's turn to nod. "Yes, she is amazing." Her smile slowly turned into a frown, and she looked down at her tray of food. "But I was scared."

"Why? You've never been in trouble before?" he asked, even though they both knew the answer.

"This was different. It was for something that could get me in a lot of trouble. And I cannot have that. I must really focus on my grades."

"Your grades?"

"Yes. My grades are not the best as of late. If they do not improve, I would have to…" she said, trailing off.

"You would have to what?" asked Gregor. He noticed that the sadness had spread from her eyes to her face.

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head slightly. She reached up and readjusted the golden band that circled her head. "Just know that my grades are important to me at the moment."

"Oh," he said. He wasn't sure where she was going with this. "Why are you telling me this?"

Luxa leveled her eyes with his. "I cannot afford to lose the entire grade. If we can make it up with the play, then we must. I need to pass this class. And I need to pass with the highest grade possible."

"So you brought me here to ask me to do better in the play? I already know that. I think Mrs. Miravet made it pretty clear."

"No," she said, looking away for a moment. "You heard what she said. The better we do, the higher our grade will be. I do not want you to be better. I want you to be the best. We must do the best we can."

"And how are we going to do that?" he asked. She seemed desperate to get a good grade, and although he wasn't, it was a good idea in general to do the best job possible.

"We can run lines after rehearsals. It would help greatly. I am not too good with remembering those. Perhaps we can help each other."

"Um, sure? Where would we do that, though?"

"Wherever you wish. The only place that is unavailable is my house. I live with my cousin Henry and his older sister Nerissa. She works until very late, and Henry is never home. He is usually out with Ares causing some sort of mischief."

"And it would be a little weird if we were alone at your house," said Gregor.

"Well… yes," she said, her face turning a bit red.

"My mom doesn't like me staying out really late. If we run lines after rehearsal, then I guess it's going to have to be in my apartment. That way, my mom knows exactly where I am and what I'm doing. If I told her I had to be out late every day with a girl, there would be all kinds of questions." As soon as he had said that, he felt his ears get warm.

Luxa's blush returned slightly as well, and she shook her head slightly, almost as if she were shaking herself out of a daze. "Your apartment, then?" she asked, as if finalizing things.

Gregor nodded. "We can walk there after rehearsal. It isn't too far from the school. Unless you don't like the idea of walking every day. We could choose some other place. I'd just need to check and see if I can."

"I do not mind walking," she said with a smile. It was the first smile she had given him in a long time, and he couldn't help smiling back.

"Okay then," he said, getting up from the floor.

Luxa stood up as well, picking up her tray of food. "Oh, and thank you for what you told Mrs. Miravet. About me not feeling well."

"You're welcome," he said, still smiling.

"I am glad you understand. I honestly thought you would refuse helping me."

Luxa stood up straight and extended her right hand for a handshake. Gregor thought it was a bit weird, but he realized it fit their situation perfectly. They weren't exactly friends, but they had agreed to do something together to benefit from the situation. Almost like calling a truce.

Gregor shifted the tray to his left hand so he could use his right hand. He reached out to shake her hand and was surprised by what he felt. Her skin was warm and soft, not at all like he had imagined it.

The previous night, when he had been mad at Luxa, he had gotten to a point where he compared her to a vampire. Vampires were evil, and he couldn't help but think that Luxa was evil for getting him into this mess.

Now that he thought of it, a vampire was a cruel comparison. It made him feel horrible for doing so.

But looking into her pretty eyes and perfect smile, he realized Luxa might be more like a vampire than he thought.

He had read somewhere that vampires were cold, pale and beautiful. Well, now Gregor knew that her skin wasn't cold at all. It was still pale, though. And she was definitely beautiful…

Vampire or not, Luxa was definitely two out of three.

Very pale, and very, very beautiful.

* * *

**Happy Forth of July! I didn't even remember it was until, like, an hour ago, so that's kind of pathetic. Ok, so I did not expect Luxa to swallow her pride, and ask for help. Must have been hard for her. Somehow I get the feeling that the rumor Lizzie spoke of is going to affect the story later on in some way. Though, I cannot guess how. Well, I am very eager to see how this whole thing plays out.**

* * *

**Question: how good will Gregor and Luxa's performance be? OR will they add a kiss for a "better grade"? I'm sure it would help, but would Luxa have the guts? She's the one that needs the grade. That would be a very interesting scene.**

* * *

**Until next time,**

**-Tytonic**


	12. Chapter 12: Showtime

**Hey everyone! Hope everyone had an awesome weekend. Here's the next chapter, and I hope you guys like it. Sorry about the wait, but I was out of town longer than I expected, and I didn't have my laptop with me. Thanks to everyone for the support. Reviews are always appreciated. See you guys next time, and take care!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Underland Chronicles, only the characters I make up and the plot itself.**

* * *

**Regalia High**

**Chapter 12: Showtime**

* * *

He had read somewhere that vampires were cold, pale and beautiful. Well, now Gregor knew that her skin wasn't cold at all. It was still pale, though. And she was definitely beautiful…

Vampire or not, Luxa was definitely two out of three.

Very pale, and very, very beautiful.

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

As the weeks went by, Gregor's life became more and more of a routine. Except for the weekends, every day was pretty much the same thing.

Gregor tried to wake up every day at the same time so that he could do some homework before class. It was his least favorite part of the day, since it cut into his sleep. Every time he got out of bed, it was like his pillow wanted a hug and his blankets became softer. But he couldn't afford to get a detention for not doing his homework. He didn't really do it after school anymore. There just wasn't enough time.

After school, Gregor had to go to practice and then to rehearsals. When the rehearsals were over, he and Luxa would walk to his apartment, where the private rehearsals would take place. It had been a little weird at first, but now, it was a normal thing.

Right before the regular rehearsals with the rest of the actors, Gregor had to attend practice. The kind of practice Gregor had to go to depended on the day.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Gregor had dodgeball practice with Ripred. The coach had actually made a team of it, thanks in part to Gregor's performance against the Fount. There was a small survey that took place during lunch that asked if students would go see another game, and it had apparently been a huge success. With all those promises of support, the district had allowed Ripred to make a team, and some of the other schools had made teams as well.

When the games had started, it was clear from the start that all other teams were trying their best. They wanted as many players as possible to play against Gregor, since he was the best player on the team.

During the games, it was like if Gregor was playing by himself. Against Ripred's orders, Gregor had chosen to be first in line. Ripred wanted him to be last so that he could win the games if it got to that point, but Gregor always went out first.

Whenever he played, Gregor always had that same blurring sensation. It was like if things moved in slow motion. He could feel his arms and legs move, and when everything came back into focus, he was always surprised to see the other team eliminated. Though it always happened, it never failed to surprise him.

Sometimes, the other team would get a few hits on some of Gregor's teammates. Sometimes, they didn't. Most of the time, Gregor could take them all by himself. His teammates were in the process of picking up dodgeballs when they discovered that Gregor had already finished taking the other team out.

It made the crowd go wild, seeing him do all of that. After the games when he would get rushed by some of the other students, they would ask him how he was so good, and he never knew how to answer. Not knowing made him feel uneasy, and Gregor had finally gathered up the courage one day to talk to Ripred.

He remembered the day when he had talked to him. After one of the dodgeball practices, Gregor stayed afterwards inside the gym and waited for Ripred to come out of his office. He was in a hurry, since he had to go to rehearsals, but he was more nervous than anything. Ripred tended to be sarcastic and insensitive, which caused Gregor to reconsider his decision several times. But the truth was, there was no one else he could talk to about it.

"Don't you have to go dance on stage somewhere with Mrs. Cormaci?" asked Ripred. Gregor hadn't heard him coming, and he jumped slightly at the sound of his voice.

"Yea, but I wanted to talk to you about something."

Ripred sat on one of the bleachers and looked up at him. "Alright, twinkle toes. What do you want to talk about? I don't have a lot of time, so make this quick."

Gregor sat down next to him and took a deep breath. "I wanted to talk about… how I play during the games."

That got Ripred to look at him with a different expression. His eyebrows rose slightly, and he leaned forward a bit. He turned his head to look around quickly, as if making sure they were alone. "What happens when you play, boy?" he almost whispered.

It was strange to see Ripred so interested all of a sudden, and Gregor spoke with a little more confidence. "I don't know," he admitted. "It all happens so fast, but slow at the same time. It's like the world turns blurry, and when it goes back to normal, everything's done. And I can't help it. I feel like… like… -"

"Like you can't control your body," finished Ripred. Gregor turned to him, surprised that the coach had actually finished his sentence. Ripred was more serious than Gregor had ever seen him, and the coach's face was set in deep concentration.

"Do you know what I'm talking about?" asked Gregor.

Ripred nodded slowly, a small smile spreading over his lips. "I thought I was the only one. But you described it so perfectly. It happened to me when I played sports in high school and in college. Hell, it still happens from time to time."

Gregor remembered the stories of how Ripred was the best athlete ever to have attended Regalia High, and it made a little more sense to him. Not only did it explain so much, but it also gave Gregor relief that Ripred really did know what was happening to him.

"You and I are just some of the lucky ones, boy," said Ripred. "It's just an ability we have."

"Is there a name for it?"

Ripred let out a loud laugh. "What is this? A story book? There doesn't have to be a name for it." He laughed again. "Is there a name for it… that's a good one." The coach turned to him again. "We can't help it. We're just natural born athletes."

What? Was that a good thing, or a bad thing? One thing was to be naturally athletic, and another thing was to have something strange happen to you where you could take on an entire team by yourself. It made Gregor feel like he had an unfair advantage over the other kids. Maybe he didn't want this ability.

"It won't go away," said Ripred, almost as if he were reading Gregor's thoughts. "Just accept it, and use it. But make sure it doesn't go to your head."

"What do you mean?" asked Gregor.

"Going first to take on the whole team? What's that about?"

"Well, if they don't have to go in, why should they? Those dodgeballs hurt. If I can take them by myself so my teammates don't have to get hit, then I'll do it. I mean, I guess I can, so why not?"

Ripred gave him a curious stare. "You know, if we lived in a different time period and you had that mentality in times of war, you'd be a noble fighter for wanting to avoid casualties. Don't you think, _warrior_?"

Gregor turned red at the mention of his unofficial nickname. He hadn't thought of how easy it might be for Ripred to hear someone call him that, and he felt embarrassed. Still, the coach had been a lot of help, and he was grateful.

"Thanks. I didn't actually think you would know. But I was curious."

"And you decided to talk to me about it?" asked Ripred, opening his eyes wide in mock surprise. "I think this is the start of a very long relationship between us."

Gregor laughed. "Whatever. And thanks again. I have to go to rehearsals now." He turned to leave.

"See you tomorrow, happy feet."

Gregor's talk with Ripred made him feel a little bit better, and it made his experiences with the strange ability not so strange. During practice, it didn't happen, and he just focused on working out with the rest of the team. They worked on stamina and strength, lifting weights to make their arms stronger. It only helped Gregor become more deadly, throwing even harder and jumping higher when he needed to avoid incoming dodgeballs.

Tuesdays and Thursdays were different, as those days were track practice. Since Ripred had made the dodgeball team, he was no longer coaching the track team. In his place was a new coach. Her name was Perdita, and she had taken over for Ripred.

Perdita was the same as Ripred. No one could bring themselves to call her Ms. Perdita, and they just called her by her first name. She seemed okay with it, and after a few days, it was the only thing they called her.

She wasn't as hard on them as Ripred, and she was a little more understanding. Still, Perdita's workouts were pretty intense. Gregor couldn't help but think that her and Ms. Solovet would be the perfect teachers to train them for war. Perdita would take care of discipline and training while Ms. Solovet ordered everyone around.

Despite all the changes to his life, the evening sessions with Luxa were the ones that took the longest to get used to. After only a few private rehearsals, Gregor and Luxa improved by a noticeable margin. They did much better on the rehearsals with everyone, and Mrs. Cormaci praised their hard work.

"Excellent! Absolutely wonderful! How did the two of you improve so much in such a short time?" she asked one day.

Gregor turned to look at Luxa, unsure of what to say. He didn't want to tell Mrs. Cormaci that they were practicing together at his apartment, especially not in front of the other actors. A few people had seen him and Luxa walking together after rehearsals, and there were a few new rumors going around. Because of this, he only remained quiet, not wanting to risk hurting Luxa's image or something.

Mrs. Cormaci only shrugged after a moment when she saw neither of them would answer. "Well, it doesn't matter! Whatever it is, keep doing it! It's working perfectly!"

But Luxa was the biggest surprise of all.

Gregor and Luxa never had enough time to talk. They would whisper to each other between scenes when Mrs. Cormaci was talking to some of the other actors, or when they were waiting to go onstage. They did most of their uninterrupted talking when they walked to his apartment after rehearsals and when he walked her to her house after their private sessions.

The first time Gregor's mom had met Luxa was one of the most embarrassing days of his life.

Gregor and Luxa had walked in to find his mom in the kitchen. Gregor expected Luxa to be a bit judgmental of where he lived, and he was shy at first. However, Luxa smiled when she walked in, looking around to admire everything.

He gave her a small tour of the apartment, stopping by the kitchen to get her a glass of water. Gregor wished he had more to offer, but there wasn't much else. Luxa was very polite though, and she walked around with her hands behind her back.

His mother had been very awkward from the moment he presented Luxa to her. She was expecting her, since Gregor needed to ask permission, but it didn't mean she was any less awkward.

While Gregor ran his lines with Luxa, his mom just sat at the kitchen table, pretending to be busy with cutting some vegetables. The table had a perfect view of the living room, and it was pretty obvious his mom was there to spy when she brought out every single vegetable in the fridge out to the table.

When she ran out of vegetables, Gregor's mom took the sowing kit out and pretended to fix one of her old aprons. At the sight of this, Gregor rolled his eyes, and Luxa only shook with silent laughter. He could tell that Luxa found the whole situation hilarious, and somehow, it made his patience grow. He was tempted to ask his mom why she was being so weird, but he didn't want to be rude. Besides, he could just ask her after Luxa was gone.

After he had walked Luxa home, though, Gregor's mother had immediately bombarded him with questions. The moment he walked through his door, his mom led him to the table and sat him down.

There was a huge interrogation regarding Luxa for the next hour. His mom asked all sorts of random questions. Some of them made sense, but others left Gregor wondering why his mom would want to know that.

Gregor finally got the courage to ask her why she had been so determined to keep them in sight. When she said she was only making sure they didn't "do anything," he dropped the conversation. He sort of knew what she meant by that, and he decided he wanted to avoid an awkward conversation with her. He was done with awkward for the day.

The questions continued to fall until his mother looked satisfied with the answers she got. When she was finished asking, Gregor's mom leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. Then she said, "She's got real attitude."

Gregor only smiled at that and took his cue to leave. His mother never brought her up again in any conversation, and for the most part, she left him and Luxa alone whenever they were going to rehearse. The privacy let them work on the more intimate scenes with a little more confidence. It was weird enough as it was. They didn't want an audience. Plus, they could talk freely whenever they were talking a break, and it was better to be alone. They never talked about anything inappropriate, but it would be weird if his mom were just there while they talked. And that's what they did sometimes. They just sat and talked.

He never got bored of her. They would talk about random things, making huge, hilarious conversations out of pretty much anything. Luxa was very easy to talk to. He found her to be much friendlier when she wasn't with Henry. It reminded him of the time they had spent together in detention.

She had a good sense of humor, and she was never offended by what he said. She simply went along with it, drawing a joke or two while she was at it. Seeing her like this made Gregor think about the rest of her friends. He already knew that Aurora was easy to talk to, but what about Ares? Would he be easy to talk to if he weren't around Henry all the time? He didn't think about it too much, since Ares still looked at him weird. Perhaps he would bring it up with Luxa so that she could ask Ares about it.

One day, while Gregor was walking Luxa to her house, their conversation brought up Gorger. The curiosity to know what had happened that day when Gorger had dented Luxa's locker was bothering him, so he finally asked.

"It was something of little importance," she began, her voice dropping to just above a whisper. "He was harassing a very small boy and I told him to stop. He did not, and I took the boy with me, away from him. He became very mad at this, and that is why he was shouting at me."

"You were shouting back," Gregor reminded her.

"I was," she nodded. "He kept shouting that he would get even with me, and I said that he could try."

"Even? How?"

"I do not know. But he said he would do it when I least expected it."

Luxa seemed unfazed by the words as she repeated them, but Gregor was instantly more cautious. It only made him promise himself that Luxa would never have to walk home by herself. He didn't want Gorger sneaking up on her in the dark if she ever had to walk home alone. It's not like Gregor could fight him, but maybe he could hold him off long enough for Luxa to escape. It was the best scenario he could think of, and he left it at that. He didn't want to think about what Gorger might do to him if he got in the way. Surely, revenge against Luxa was something Gorger was planning for, and it might be dangerous to ruin those plans.

But he would do anything for Luxa.

And that was what affected him the most. With each afternoon they spent together, Gregor found himself liking Luxa more and more. Every moment, every word, drew him closer to her. He couldn't help smiling every time she laughed, and he would smile like an idiot when she smiled at him first. It was simply impossible to not smile back.

At first, Gregor thought that he was just getting to know her better. It was normal, since they were no longer seeing the other as a stranger. It was just how people became friends. He tried to convince himself that it was only a friendship that was forming. It didn't take long for that theory to fail, however, and it wasn't his fault entirely.

Whenever Gregor pulled Luxa in for a hug or held her hand like the script demanded, he could literally feel her pulse quicken. It wasn't hard to tell when she blushed, either. Not with the paleness of her skin.

Gregor realized he might be lying to himself with these things. Maybe Luxa just got nervous with these acting things. Maybe it wasn't him that was causing her reaction. She was just new to this whole thing. It was logical thoughts like these that made Gregor wish he hadn't hoped too strongly. Seeing the rational side, it was easy to understand that Luxa didn't feel the same way he felt about her.

But what did he feel for her exactly? Whatever it was, it was stronger than anything he had ever felt before. So he just lied to himself. He liked the thought of Luxa feeling something for him, and he decided to go with it.

It could turn very badly when he found out she felt nothing. Gregor had read something somewhere, and he wasn't sure what it meant back then, but now, it made perfect sense.

Ignorance is bliss.

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

The day of the play came faster than anyone could anticipate. School was the same boring thing it always was, but on the day of the show, the entire school buzzed with excitement. It reminded Gregor of the dodgeball tournament, and how everyone had been so anxious.

But no one felt more anxious than Gregor. His hands were twitching, and he felt like he was sweating bullets. He paced back and forth in the dressing room, not caring if people almost ran into him. He was in his own little bubble, and no one could get him out of it.

"Gregor?" came a voice from behind him.

He turned around instantly. "Hey, Luxa."

Well, almost no one.

"I just wanted to wish you good luck. Not like we need it, but it is there if you would like it. I am offering it," she said, holding out her empty hand and giving him a smile.

"Thanks," he said, smiling at her silliness and reaching out to take the fake object from her hand. When his hand was over hers, however, she reached up and grabbed his arm. Then she pulled him in for a hug.

"You are going to be great. I know you are," she whispered in his ear.

"So are you," he replied, pulling away. Both of them were blushing, and Luxa turned away slightly to hide her face.

"Well, we have better get ready." She gave him another smile before walking away.

Peering through the small space between the wall and the edge of the curtain, Gregor could see the crowd coming into the auditorium and taking their seats. His mom hadn't been able to get out of work to see the play, though she promised him about five times that she had done all she could. Gregor insisted that it was alright, but deep down, he was a little sad that she couldn't be there.

Larry, Angelina, and Lizzie came through the doors at the far end and took a few seats in the third row. It was a lot closer than Gregor had thought, and it made him even more nervous. On the other side, he saw Henry show up with a girl Gregor had never seen before. Though she was shorter than Henry, it was clear that she was older. She was very thin, and her hair was in somewhat of a mess. Despite her slight resemblance to Henry, Gregor got the feeling that she was nothing like him. She didn't give off the same vibe as Henry. He was sure they were siblings, and that she was the other cousin Luxa lived with. What was her name? Nerissa?

"To your places!" cried Mrs. Cormaci as she rushed around the stage frantically. Apparently, teachers got nervous as well.

Gregor got into place and waited for the curtain to draw back. He took a few deep breaths and waited for his cue to walk in.

The play started not long after, and it went better than he expected. Every transition between scenes was smooth, and the acting came almost naturally to him. The scenes with other actors were great too. Everyone was trying their best, and it made it was always easy to work with people who actually knew what they were doing. It also helped that they were trying their hardest to make everything perfect.

The scenes with Luxa were the easiest, though. Gregor and Luxa had gone through their lines and movements so many times, they could have done the play in their sleep. Because of all the time they had spent rehearsing, they both knew how long to wait between each lines, and how to say them in a way that gave off a certain emotion.

It had been Luxa's idea to play with the lines a bit. Depending on the scene, they could say their lines to emphasize the overall emotion of the situation. It was actually a very good idea, and the sad scenes were extra sad, while the funny lines made people laugh hysterically instead of just making them smile.

Towards the end of the play, when Gregor's character reunites with his girlfriend, Gregor smiled at Luxa. Though they weren't separated in real life, it always felt nice to see Luxa. Especially when she was acting like seeing him was the best thing in the world.

Bringing her in for the final embrace, Gregor told Luxa that he loved her. It was what he was supposed to say, but it was different. The words that escaped his mouth were more real than he had ever felt them, and he hoped his eyes told Luxa that he really meant them. It's not like he knew he would, but the past few weeks had been the best time of his life.

Luxa repeated the words to him while she gave him a wink. Because of the way they were standing on stage, it would be impossible for the audience to have seen it. Taking this into consideration, Gregor realized that it wasn't for the audience to see at all. It was just for him.

Her eyes were as gorgeous as ever, and it was funny how the dull lights of the stage gave them a sort of glow. Luxa's eyes looked they were a soft violet color, and like everything else, they looked great on her. Purple eyes didn't seem weird or out of place on her. They only added to her beauty.

At that moment, Gregor forgot where he was. Pulling her in again, he slowly brought his head down and kissed her.

* * *

**I don't know about you guys, but there I no way I would want my mom watching a play I'm in. She would only criticize me later, pointing out every little mistake, even if it wasn't a mistake, and then act like she could have done better. And then she would proceed to describe how perfect the other actors were. She's done it before. I find it funny how in every book, characters can't figure out why their heart races and they are extremely happy to see somebody of the opposite sex. It's so obviously love, but they can't tell. . . Well, it adds it the story nonetheless.**

* * *

**Question: How will Luxa and Gregor interact after the play? It's possible that he misinterpreted her wink, and she didn't want him to kiss her.**

* * *

**Until next time,**

**-Tytonic**


	13. Chapter 13: Regrets?

**Hey everyone! First off, I need to thank you guys for all the support this story is getting. From the reviews based on the last chapter, I saw that a lot of you guys had a great reaction to the scenes with Gregor and Luxa. I wasn't planning to have any Gluxa in this chapter at all, but because of the reviews, I added some in. Hope you guys like it. Keep reviewing, and again thanks for the support. You guys are awesome!**

**-Skychip**

* * *

******Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Underland Chronicles, only the characters I make up and the plot itself.**

* * *

**Regalia High**

**Chapter 13: Regrets?**

* * *

Her eyes were as gorgeous as ever, and it was funny how the dull lights of the stage gave them a sort of glow. Luxa's eyes looked they were a soft violet color, and like everything else, they looked great on her. Purple eyes didn't seem weird or out of place on her. They only added to her beauty.

At that moment, Gregor forgot where he was. Pulling her in again, he slowly brought his head down and kissed her.

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

Gregor couldn't believe what he had just done.

He had decided to go off script and do something that wasn't planned. Was there a punishment for that? Gregor wasn't sure, but if Mrs. Cormaci didn't make him pay for it, Luxa certainly would.

His decision to go off script was solely for the purpose of kissing Luxa. Gregor wasn't even sure she liked him back. Sure, there were a few things he could say that counted in his favor, but those could all be coincidences as well. Those could just be things that showed her being nervous about the play.

Even now, while he kissed her, Gregor could feel Luxa's pulse beating at a mile a minute. She was probably furious right now, thinking of all these intricate, creative ways to hurt him. It was definitely a mistake to do this. A huge mistake.

When Gregor had realized how he felt about Luxa some time before, he had decided that it was okay to lie to himself. To let himself think that Luxa liked him back. It was better than thinking he was just like any other person in her life. But with this, he was directly involving her, and that wasn't supposed to happen. Because now, she would break off all communication with him, and he wouldn't even have her as a friend.

So much had happened in their many talks throughout the past couple of weeks. Gregor had gotten to know Luxa really well, and he never felt shy about speaking of his own life with her. If all of that were gone, it would leave a huge gap in his life.

But for this kiss… this one kiss… it might be all worth it.

Gregor's fear melted slightly as he realized that the seconds were passing and Luxa wasn't pulling away. He was waiting for the instant where she pulled her lips away from his, ending this moment.

But she didn't. Instead, her soft lips moved perfectly with his, almost effortlessly. Gregor didn't have to think about anything. He had heard about what kissing was like. That sometimes it got complicated and you didn't know what to do and sometimes your noses bumped and it became awkward.

Gregor didn't feel awkward though. He felt like he could stay there forever. Every movement their lips made against each other was completely natural. Luxa removed her hands from his and slowly brought them up. She gently wrapped her arms around his neck while he moved his hands to her waist.

The entire time, a soft buzz seemed to radiate through Gregor. It wasn't too different from what he felt when he played dodgeball in the games. The sensation was pumping adrenaline through his body at an alarming rate, and Gregor tried his best to make it go away. During his games, it was a good thing, since it helped him out. But he also never remembered anything. And, mistake or not, he wanted to make sure he remembered this moment forever.

The loud cheering and clapping from the audience brought Gregor back to reality. The play was over, and in truth, Gregor had forgotten where he was. It was amazing how weeks of worrying had been erased by the kiss.

Gregor opened his eyes as he pulled away from Luxa. He saw Luxa breath desperately for air, and he realized he was doing the same. He wasn't exactly sure how long they had kissed, but apparently, they hadn't breathed in a while.

As he took a step back, Gregor saw the curtains closing, leaving them in total darkness. The lights were back on in an instant, but he turned his face away from Luxa. The joy he had felt just seconds before had disappeared, and he was afraid to meet her gaze.

Although he hoped she felt something sincere towards him and returned his feelings, Gregor realized it was useless. The whole point of doing the play was to get a good grade. Luxa was really counting on the best grade possible, and her reaction to what he did was probably just to avoid hurting their performance. Now that it was over and that the curtains hid them from the audience, she would definitely strangle him with her bare hands.

But the violence never came. Instead, Luxa's hands grabbed Gregor's again and she pulled him close. It wasn't enough for them to embrace, but it was enough to force Gregor to look at her. Luxa's smile was warm, and he saw a glint in her eye that might have been a small set of tears. As he smiled back, Mrs. Cormaci ran over to them, turning them towards the curtain. The rest of the actors were making their way to the stage as well.

"Hold hands, everyone! It's time for the bow!"

Gregor held on to one of Luxa's hands but let the other go. She turned and held someone else's hand with her free one, and Gregor did the same. All of the actors formed a long line across the stage and waited while the curtain opened up.

Slowly, the chain of actors bowed while the audience cheered again. Gregor had a grin from ear to ear. He didn't expect to feel this happy after the play, but he actually had fun. Then again, the major reason why he was so happy was because Luxa didn't look angry about the kiss.

If Luxa wasn't angry, though, Angelina definitely was.

The look on her face was composed of a mixture of emotions. There was confusion, and Gregor guessed it was due to the kiss. Angelina wasn't sure if the kiss was part of the play or if it was something that had happened spontaneously. Because of the possibility of the second option, there was also sadness. Gregor felt bad because he knew Angelina had a small crush on him, and he couldn't return the feelings. She was a great friend, but he had never felt more than friendship towards her.

The last emotion that Gregor could detect in her eyes was anger. What was she mad at? Or who? If she had been hurt by what she had just seen, then it would be best if she were mad at Gregor. He hoped it wasn't anger towards Luxa. That would only cause problems in the future. If he and Luxa had a future…

Larry seemed genuinely happy. He was clapping with enthusiasm, and it was louder than anyone else's. He didn't know the kiss wasn't supposed to happen, and so to him, the play had gone like it was meant to have gone.

Gregor hadn't told Larry of his growing feelings for Luxa. Again, he felt bad, this time about Larry. He was his best friend, and he had been keeping these things to himself. Come to think of it, it would have been nice to have some sort of advice on his situation with Luxa. The kind of advice only a best friend could give. Not that Larry was an expert with girls, but still, he shouldn't have excluded him.

Lizzie was the only one who knew the kiss wasn't supposed to happen. She had been there a few times when Gregor and Luxa were rehearsing, and she would even give them tips on how to stand so that the audience would see them better in certain scenes. She was the mini audience that sat through some of their rehearsing, helping them get over their nervousness of having to perform in front of so many people.

She was clapping, and she had a smile on her face, but her eyes were locked with Gregor's. Lizzie's eyes weren't mean or accusing. Instead, they had a look that made her older brother blush slightly. One of her eyebrows was raised slightly, as if questioning him. Lizzie suspected that Gregor liked Luxa, and what she had just seen only confirmed it. Now, Gregor had no way of denying it.

While his eyes were still on the audience, Gregor got a good look at Luxa's friends and cousins as well. Henry had a forced smile on his face and was clapping, but he didn't seem mad. Perhaps he didn't know that the kiss wasn't planned either. The older girl was also clapping and smiling, but unlike Henry, her smile wasn't forced. She was looking at Luxa, but her eyes drifted over to meet Gregor's for a moment, and he couldn't help but smile back.

Aurora looked like she was about to cry from happiness. Gregor couldn't hear her over all the clapping and cheering, but he was pretty sure she was laughing with joy. The look in her eyes was like Lizzie's, and Gregor guessed that Luxa had talked to her about the play. Maybe she was another person who knew the kiss wasn't planned.

The last person Gregor saw was Ares, and he almost let out a sigh of relief when he met his eyes. It seemed like forever that Ares had been giving him these strange looks. They had begun on the first week of school, and they had continued for weeks. Now, the look wasn't there, and his face only registered confusion and curiosity. Curiosity for what, Gregor didn't know, but it was better than those weird looks he had been getting.

The curtains slowly came down to close again, and then the line of actors became a huge gathering of people. Small groups formed everywhere in which actors began hugging and congratulating each other. Luxa's hand slipped from Gregor's as she was pulled away by a group of girls, and Gregor found himself being dragged around by people who wanted a hug or a picture.

After about fifteen minutes of this, Mrs. Cormaci announced that the costumes had to be returned to the back room. Everyone made their way over to it, and Gregor walked among the crowd of people. He looked around for a bit, but he couldn't catch sight of Luxa anywhere.

Gregor returned his costume and decided to wait outside in the dressing room, hoping to see Luxa when she came out. As he made his way out, though, he found that she was already there waiting for him. His face instantly put on a smile that matched hers as he walked towards the corner of the room where she was standing.

Luxa didn't wait for him to make it. She walked a couple of steps forward and greeted him in a hug. For a moment they stood there, arms wrapped around each other while everyone else walked around them. After a while, the people walking around left, and he was left only with Luxa. He got lost for a moment in the scent of her hair, and he closed his eyes, hoping this moment would last.

She pulled away faster than he would have hoped, but she was still smiling. Gregor wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure what. By the look on Luxa's face, he figured that sometimes, it was better to stay silent and enjoy the person you were with.

So that's exactly what he did.

Their moment was finally interrupted by a high pitched squeak by the door. Gregor and Luxa turned to see Aurora running towards them with a huge grin. Ares followed close behind her, but he wasn't running. His long strides were enough to keep him at Aurora's speed. He stopped a few feet before he got to them, but Aurora kept going.

Gregor wasn't sure if non-actors were allowed back there, but the people who were in charge of keeping regular students out had probably taken one look at Ares and decided not to say anything.

Gregor let go of Luxa to let Aurora hug her. He took a step back to avoid being in the way when he was almost knocked down. Aurora had crashed into him full speed, and he had to put a hand out to the wall for support to keep them from falling. Aurora had both arms wrapped around his neck tightly, and she was laughing.

"You guys were amazing!" she cried.

"Thanks," he replied, laughing along with her.

"That kiss was… special," she said, still smiling.

Gregor glanced over at Luxa quickly, but she had her head down, blushing slightly.

"It was," he said finally, causing Luxa to raise her head in his direction a bit with a smile.

"The entire play was great!" continued Aurora, finally letting go of Gregor to give Luxa a tight hug. She whispered in Luxa's ear and the two of them giggled.

Before Gregor realized what was happening, Aurora had pulled Luxa away by the hand to another room, laughing and talking excitedly. They were both happy, and Gregor enjoyed seeing Luxa smile, but there was a problem. With them gone, the only two people in the room were Gregor and Ares.

It was awkward for the first few minutes. Neither of them said anything. Gregor wasn't sure how long Luxa and Aurora would take, but he hoped it wouldn't be too much longer. Ares stood in the same spot where he had stopped walking when he came in, and he kept his eyes on the floor and his hands in his pockets.

"You guys really did do a great job on the play, you know."

Gregor turned to Ares in surprise. He hadn't expected Ares to say anything, but here he was, congratulating him on the play.

"Uh, thanks. Glad you could make it."

What? Glad you could make it? Had he really just said that? It's not like Gregor had invited him or anything. But he was struggling to keep a conversation with Ares. The kid was just too unpredictable. First, he gave him weird looks for ages, and now, he was talking to him like nothing happened.

"Aurora wanted to come see it," said Ares, explaining his reasons for showing up.

So that was it. The realization hit Gregor so fast, he almost hit himself on the forehead with the palm of his hand.

Of course! The looks had begun that day Ares had seen him talk to Aurora! How could he have forgotten that?

Everyone knew Ares liked Aurora. It was no secret. He wasn't that good at hiding it. If he was good at hiding it, he would have chosen his words more carefully. But instead, he had literally admitted that his reason for attending the performance was because Aurora was going.

Gregor had just done a play in front of a lot of people, and more importantly than that, he had just kissed Luxa. He decided that today was the day he wasn't scared of anything. It was a good day to confront Ares about the stares. Looking over at him, Gregor took a deep breath and spoke.

"You know, I don't like Aurora." That got Ares to look up at him. "I mean, I like her, but not in that way."

Ares nodded slowly. "I realize that now."

"Now?" asked Gregor.

"Well, yeah," he said, moving his arm back and forth between the stage and Gregor. "I think the unexpected ending proved that."

"Wait, how do you know about that?"

Ares gave him a sheepish look. "Aurora told me."

Gregor felt his face turn red. How many others were finding out?

"If I hadn't kissed Luxa, would you still think that I liked Aurora?"

"She likes you, and it was obvious that you like her back."

Gregor sighed. "I like her because she's the only one that was nice to me when the rest of you weren't. She was nice to me even before Luxa was."

Ares looked down at the ground again and rubbed the back of his neck. "About that," he began. "I'm sorry. We should not have been mean to you before. I've known Aurora and Luxa for a long time. If they like you, then you must be a good person. There is no reason why I should question their judgment. Henry is just different. Sometimes, what he says can affect us all."

Gregor took this in for moment. Although the conversation about Aurora was a bit uncomfortable, he preferred that over talking about Henry.

"Did you hate me when you thought I liked Aurora?"

Ares looked at him with a expression of shock. "What do you mean?"

"Well, those looks you gave me. I wasn't sure if you hated me or if you were just angry."

"I did not hate you," said Ares, still sounding shocked. "I didn't mean for you to notice."

Gregor let out a nervous laugh. "They were pretty noticeable."

"Oh. I didn't mean to make you feel weird. I was just wondering about you."

"Wondering what about me?" asked Gregor curiously.

"I was wondering what about you made you so likable to Aurora."

"Huh?" Now Gregor was confused.

Ares sighed loudly. "She smiles when she sees you. She laughs when you speak."

Gregor understood. "I think she was just being polite. And maybe she does like me. But only as a friend. She had been trying to get me to fix things with Luxa when me and her had the argument." He paused for a moment. "One day, she'll realize how much you like her."

Ares looked at him with even more shock than he had just moments before. "How do you know about that?"

Gregor opened his mouth slightly in amazement. "Seriously? The entire school knows that you like Aurora."

"Do you think she knows?" asked Ares after a moment.

"I'm pretty sure she does. It's kind of obvious."

Ares stared down at the ground. "I didn't mean to make it so noticeable. I thought I was doing a good job concealing it."

Gregor laughed. "Yea, well in case you haven't noticed, you're not very good at hiding things."

"I guess not," said Ares, smiling.

It was surprising how friendly the conversation had turned. Just like Luxa and Aurora, Ares was very easy to talk to when he wasn't with Henry. Gregor was about to say something else when the girls came bursting back into the room, laughing.

Aurora walked over to congratulate him again. She gave him a quick hug and then turned to leave, taking Ares with her and leaving him alone with Luxa.

Almost instantly, Gregor and Luxa were back in each other's arms. Luxa's eyes were still filled with happiness, and he could do nothing but smile at her.

Luxa brought her arms up to wrap them around his neck again and spoke in a whisper.

"Where were we?" she asked.

Gregor laughed quietly, causing her to laugh as well.

"I don't know. We were just standing here for like, forever."

"We were not speaking?" she asked, trying to suppress a smile.

He laughed again at her attempt to sound clueless. "Nope. Not at all."

"Well then. Perhaps you should say something."

"What should I say?" he asked, playing along.

"Oh, I do not know. Say the first thing that comes to mind."

Gregor looked around the room, acting like he was thinking of something to say. Luxa laughed again, using one of her hands to hit him lightly on the back of the head. He laughed while he thought of something silly to say. Gregor was about to speak when something on the far end of the wall caught his eye. It was a poster that had been hung up by the door, advertising an upcoming school event.

"Have you thought of anything yet?" asked Luxa with a smile, leaning her head on his chest.

"Actually, I have."

"And?"

Gregor leaned his head down to whisper in her ear.

"Will you go to the homecoming dance with me?"

* * *

**I'm sure I got your hearts racing when you read that title! You probably assumed the worse. Well, Gregor couldn't have chosen a better time to ask her, I mean, he nailed it! With the circumstances like that, I don't think Luxa really has a choice! Well, what I bank to see is how Angelina acts next time she shows. Won't that be interesting!**

* * *

**Question: what will Luxa answer? Okay, so this is too easy, so I'll give you a second. How will Angelina act next time we see her?**

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**Until next time,**

**-Tytonic**


	14. Chapter 14: Homecoming Dance

**Hey everyone! I'm really sorry about the delayed update, but life's been keeping me busy. Again, I've written this chapter to include a little more Gluxa than I had originally intended, and I hope you guys like it. I promise I will try my hardest to go back to the three day update schedule. Thanks for understanding. You guys rock. Anyways, thanks for the hilarious reviews and for the continuous support. Please keep reviewing, as those are very helpful, and most of the time make me laugh. See you guys next chapter!**

**-Skychip**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Underland Chronicles, only the characters I make up and the plot itself.**

* * *

**Regalia High**

**Chapter 14: Homecoming Dance**

* * *

"Have you thought of anything yet?" asked Luxa with a smile, leaning her head on his chest.

"Actually, I have."

"And?"

Gregor leaned his head down to whisper in her ear.

"Will you go to the homecoming dance with me?"

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

The play had to be repeated twice more. Even though Gregor had performed already, the next two days were just as nerve wracking as the lead up to the first performance. There was something about being in front of so many people that made him feel nervous.

Gregor tried to convince himself that the fear and the feelings of nervousness were normal. He told himself that everyone felt scared at some point. Company owners probably felt nervous before an important meeting. Pilots probably felt nervous before flying a plane, too. Or the guys that jumped off planes with parachutes.

If Gregor ever jumped off of a plane, it would be an interesting day. He didn't know what would kick in. His fear of falling and heights, or the adrenaline rush that helped him during the dodgeball games. He couldn't really explain why he was afraid of falling, though. There were no previous experiences where he had fallen from something high up. But his fear was so much that he knew that if he lived in some other world in a different dimension, he would still be afraid of heights.

The only thing that helped him through the other plays was the support from Luxa. She helped him go through the lines quickly before the play started. They got to the dressing rooms quickly and got changed in a flash just so they could rehearse quietly with each other. It was all second nature by then, but they wanted to be sure.

The first play had been on a Thursday night. Since there were three plays, the other two were on Friday and Saturday. Usually, a small ice cream party was held after the first performance, but since this was the first time in years the first performance had been on a Thursday, it had been postponed. Most of the actors had to get home to do some homework that was due Friday, including Gregor. He did as much as he could before his eyes closed shut. The play had more exhausting than he thought. It had been a great night, however, and the ending was better than he could have ever imagined.

Since Gregor and Luxa had kissed at the end of the play, everyone in the audience believed that's how the play was originally written. Mrs. Cormaci was surprised they had kissed, but she couldn't contain her excitement when she told them that it was a perfect ending. After saying that, she told them that they would have to repeat that ending on the other nights as well.

And Gregor was more than happy to do that.

The following two nights, when the ending of the play was getting close, he could see Luxa's face turn a bright red. As he pulled her in, Gregor would already feel her heart beating like crazy. She was nervous, and so was he. More nervous than the first time he had decided to do it. But as soon as their lips joined together, it was like all of that melted away. Each time, Gregor hoped that the kiss was longer than the one from the night before.

But it never was, and they were always interrupted by the loud cheering and clapping from the audience. The people always yelled their names and threw gifts onto the stage. It wasn't always roses, though. Sometimes, it was candy or stuffed animals.

On the last night, Gregor saw a girl in the front row who he recognized from the other nights. She had been in the front row on the first and second nights of the performance as well, but the last night was different. The girl was wearing a plain white shirt that she had customized herself. It had the words "Gregor + Luxa" written across the front. He found it a bit creepy, but smiled. He guessed that actual celebrities had seen weirder.

Since Gregor and Luxa no longer had the excuse that they needed to run lines, they found a different way to continue their meetings in his apartment. Gregor told his mom that he was going to help Luxa with homework for other classes. This was the perfect excuse, since Luxa really did need help with school. Her grades weren't as good as Gregor's and she seemed determined to raise them.

At school the next day, the two of them spoke in every class. Like before, they spoke of every little random thing. Anything except for the kiss. Gregor didn't know how to bring it up, and since Luxa didn't bring it up either, he decided to stop worrying about it.

Henry raised his eyebrows when he saw that they were so talkative, but he didn't say anything. He seemed genuinely surprised by their sudden connection, but after that initial look, he seemed not to care. Gregor noticed that Luxa and Henry didn't seem so close anymore. That was something else he was having trouble bringing up. He didn't like Henry, but he was still Luxa's cousin, and he hoped nothing bad had happened.

In Ms. Solovet's class, neither of them was brave enough to talk, even in a whisper. After a moment, Luxa waived slightly to catch his attention. When he turned, Gregor saw her holding up a small piece of paper. He reached for the note quickly and hid it under his arms before Ms. Solovet could look up.

At first, Gregor wondered if Luxa was just teasing him with chicken scratch. Then, he realized why the note looked strange. It was written in code. The message was written with something called a Tree of Transmission.

The whole concept of learning that code had been pointless to Gregor when he was forced to study it the year before. But now, it was perfect. He quickly recalled how it worked, and they spent all of their morning classes using the notes in code. Like Henry, everyone else was surprised, but no one said anything.

Neither of their friends went to see the play after the first time. They all had given different reasons. Some were valid, and some… not so much. Nerissa had work, Ares and Henry couldn't make it, Aurora was doing something for a class, Lizzie had a chess tournament, and Larry needed to help his dad with something. Angelina had stated that she didn't like the feeling of claustrophobia in the auditorium, but everyone knew that wasn't true. She had always acted on stage, and the auditorium was nothing new to her. Gregor suspected that it was for a different reason, and it was pretty obvious on Friday during lunch.

While Gregor waited in line to get his food, Luxa walked over to him. She had her tray already in hand, but she waited in line with him. They talked and talked, avoiding the curious looks they were getting from some of the kids that were around them. Gregor told her she would get tired of standing, but she said she would wait. When he finally had his lunch, he was unsure of where they would sit. It was obvious Luxa wanted to sit with him, but all of the tables were full. In the end, he decided to go sit with the rest of his friends.

Larry and Lizzie greeted Luxa with a hesitant smile, but it was welcoming. Angelina, on the other hand, looked away as Luxa sat down, and her face held a look of slight disgust. Gregor decided to ignore it, but it turned out to be a little harder than it seemed.

Aurora came to sit with them not long after Gregor and Luxa arrived. No doubt she was only trying to be where Luxa was, and Gregor admired her loyalty. Ares was with her, and he seemed reluctant to join the group. As soon as Aurora sat, though, he found a spot next to her immediately, and Gregor couldn't help but smile.

Luxa seemed extremely shy with Gregor's friends. She was more comfortable with Lizzie, since they had spoken at Gregor's apartment, but she had never met Larry. Angelina made no attempt to even look at her, so Luxa only had to worry about one new person. Slowly, the conversations became more normal, changing from polite conversation to comfortable joking and laughing. Aurora and Ares were very friendly as well, and soon, it was as if they were all good friends.

About halfway through lunch, Gregor realized why everyone was so easy to get along with. The fact that Henry was not there made all the difference in the world. It wasn't something that would be simple to talk about, but maybe if he asked suddenly without making a big deal of it, Luxa might answer. Taking the moment where Larry was telling everyone a joke, Gregor leaned over and whispered in Luxa's ear.

"Henry doesn't sit with you guys anymore?"

Luxa sighed and responded, also in a whisper. "No. He spends much time with Gorger."

"Gorger? Why Gorger?"

She shrugged. "Henry is convinced that if he befriends Gorger, he will be able to convince him not to seek revenge against me. He says it will keep him from hurting me."

Gregor was about to respond when they noticed the look Angelina was giving them. It was definitely anger. But the pain was also very visible, enough for Luxa to see it as well. Gregor pulled back from Luxa, returning to the overall conversation and trying to avoid Angelina's gaze. They didn't all seem to be for him, though. Plenty of the dirty looks were reserved for Luxa.

Angelina stayed quiet most of the lunch hour. She contributed to the conversation whenever she needed to, but that was it. When Gregor asked a question, she never directed the answer at him. Instead, she answered it vaguely, speaking to the entire group.

Things were always too complicated, and Gregor wished there was a simple way to fix everything. But there wasn't, and it seemed like something was always going wrong. First Luxa and Ares, and now Angelina hated him. But there wasn't much he could do about it, and so after only a moment's consideration, he decided to put it out of his mind.

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

The homecoming dance came around only a few days later.

After the first performance when they were alone, Gregor had decided to ask Luxa to the dance on impulse. It had seemed like a great idea. They had pretty much admitted their feelings to each other, they were always hanging out, and it was a night of risks for him. Besides, what's better than taking the girl you like out to the dance?

What Gregor didn't know is that the dance was that weekend. That left him with a lot of work to do in a very short amount of time. Clothes to wear to the dance weren't easy to find at all.

In a brief conversation in which both Gregor and Luxa were blushing, they spoke of going to the dance together. He wanted to be a gentleman, so he let her decide what color they would wear, since she had suggested that they match. Luxa decided she was going to wear purple, and so he needed to find something that went with that.

After searching all day, he was finally able to rent a tux that looked nice but fit within his budget, which unfortunately, wasn't much. Luxa had offered to cover his expenses, but he had refused. She was better off than he was, and money never really seemed to be an issue for her. Still, he couldn't let her do that for him. It wasn't just because she was Luxa. If anyone would have offered, he would have refused. Gregor was proud, and if he was going to pay for something, he was going to do it with his own hard earned money.

So he had gone around running errands for his neighbors and was finally able to spend some money. The night of the dance was more than an event at school. It was the night of their first date. Gregor and Luxa had only been to school and his apartment, and those didn't count. Plus, this was after fact that they had admitted feelings for the other. This counted for him as the first date, though they weren't officially dating. Like everything else, it was just complicated.

Gregor's mom had to work, but Temp had been more than glad to take care of Boots. He asked him if he didn't mind missing the dance, but Temp only said that he wasn't going to go anyways. Plus, if Temp were going, the only person he would go with was a girl everyone called Tick. It was an odd nickname, but whenever she introduced herself, that was the name she gave.

Like Temp, Tick was very quiet and reserved. They were always together, and they were both very good at ignoring the insults that were spat at them during the school day. Gregor had defended them a few times, since neither Temp nor Tick did anything to stand up for themselves. In fact, they never complained about anything. Tick also had some of the same interests as Temp. They were both really into Star Wars, and Gregor smiled whenever they spoke like Yoda, which was often. But the biggest thing was that Tick seemed just as protective of Boots as Temp. Both of them had volunteered to watch her while Gregor was at the dance, and he felt better knowing that there were two people there to take care of her.

Gregor got to the dance early, too nervous to do much else. The dance was being held in the school cafeteria, and a few people were already there. All of the tables had been cleared away and taken to a different room, and the walls and ceiling were decorated nicely.

Others were starting to arrive, and Gregor got a bit nervous. He wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do while he waited for Luxa. He didn't want her to walk into the room and find him awkwardly standing there, so he made his way over to the drinks table. There were bowls with punch of a few different flavors, as well as ice water.

As Gregor walked there, he ran into a familiar face. She was staring down at a paper while leaning on the table with the punch, but she was looked up as he got near. It had been years since he last saw her, but she was easily recognizable. The moment she saw him, she smiled and turned her full attention to him.

"I would recognize that face anywhere," she said.

"Dulcet!"

Gregor pulled his old friend in for a hug. They held the embrace, smiling the entire time.

"Oh dear, it has been so long! How have you been?" she asked when they had finally pulled away.

"I've been great! And you? We haven't heard from you in a while."

Dulcet held up her laminated ID with another smile. "I work for the district now. It's very exciting."

Dulcet worked as Boots' nanny for years. Gregor's mom would be at work and Lizzie and Gregor had to go to school. Since Boots was still small, someone had to be hired to help, and Dulcet had taken the job. She saved the money that Gregor's mom could pay her, since at that time, Dulcet had been getting ready to go to college.

Over time, Gregor had gotten to think of Dulcet as an older sister. She had always been so careful with Boots, and she helped Gregor and Lizzie with homework or chores whenever she could. Gregor was the oldest, and having someone else around made him feel a bit better. Like the weight of everything didn't hang on his shoulders only.

"So you're a teacher now?" he asked. He remembered that it was what Dulcet wanted to be. Which made sense. She was nice, had a lot of patience, liked helping people, and was great with kids.

"Almost. I need a year of training, but after that, I will be given my own classroom. It feels so surreal. I have always wanted to do this, and now that I am, I feel like I will wake up any second and it will all be gone."

"No way. You worked too hard for all of this. It's definitely real."

"True, I have been busy, but apparently so have you. I have heard of your success with the dodgeball team. I couldn't attend any of the games, but they say you are truly something to watch."

"Well, it's not as cool as others make it seem."

"Are you always this modest?"

"It's good to follow in your footsteps."

She smiled. "Well, your modesty can only hide so much. You might tell me that you did just okay in the play. But I was there to watch it. Twice. And you were absolutely wonderful."

Gregor blushed slightly. She had watched the play, and he felt a slight embarrassment over it. Having the person he saw as an older sister there at the play made him feel nervous all over again, and he silently thanked the world for keeping his mom away from it as well. He had wanted her there, but now, seeing how nervous he got, he thought that maybe it was better that she hadn't gone. It might have influenced his decision to kiss Luxa, and he might not be here now.

"Thanks," was all he said.

"You and the girl lead worked wonderfully together. What is her name?"

"Luxa."

He had to look down after he said her name. It was weird to introduce her. Besides, he didn't know how to do it. If Dulcet asked, would he tell her that Luxa was his friend or his girlfriend?

"Well I hope you two can work on many more plays together in the future."

"I hope so too," he said with a faint smile. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

Dulcet held up the paper she had been looking at before he arrived. "Staff members have to take certain events. On my first one, I was assigned to chaperone the dance. And speaking of that, I should probably get going. I need to meet up with the other teachers that will be here. It was so great to see you!" she said, opening her arms and hugging him again.

"It was great to see you, too," he replied.

After one more smile, Dulcet turned to leave and left him alone at the punch table. He poured himself a cup of the red one, smiling over Dulcet's success. He was glad she was doing so well.

Gregor didn't have to wait long before Luxa finally walked in. His mouth opened slightly as she entered gracefully into the room. She was wearing a slim purple dress that hung below her heels and made it seem like she was floating towards him. Her silver necklace complimented her hair nicely, and the band she always wore on her head was there, making her look like royalty.

From where Gregor was standing, she looked like a queen entering a room full of subjects, and the response from everyone else only emphasized it. All of the people already in the room turned to look at her as she walked in, but she paid them no mind. The entire time, her eyes were on Gregor's.

Luxa walked over to where he was at and stopped only a few feet from him. From afar, Luxa looked calm and in control, but up close, Gregor could see that she was nervous. He pulled himself together and finally smiled. He wondered how long he had been standing there with his mouth open, staring at her.

"Good evening, your grace," he said, giving a small bow.

She rolled her eyes and smiled, stepping closer to him. They hugged tightly, her arms instantly finding their place around his neck while his hands went to her waist. They stayed this way a moment, enjoying the other's presence. Another reason Gregor didn't want to let go was because he wasn't sure what to do after.

They hadn't kissed outside of the play, and Gregor was unsure of he should do it now or not. It was truly the best moment for it, but maybe she wasn't ready. As they pulled away, however, she quickly resolved the issue for him. Luxa planted a small kiss on the corner of his mouth, which wasn't his mouth directly, but it wasn't his cheek either. He smiled when he felt her pulse quicken.

"Should I feel special that the queen decides to kiss me?" he asked.

"Am I a queen?" she replied, raising an eyebrow at him.

"You have the crown already," he pointed out, bringing his hand up to touch her golden band lightly. "And based on everyone's reaction here, I bet you they'd go to war for you if you raised your hand and demanded it."

She laughed. "You are very childish. You realize that, right?"

"When I'm the only one talking, I'm childish. When we're both joking around, I'm not as funny as you. You can't make up your mind, can you? Which one do you prefer me to be?"

Luxa gave him a warm smile. "I like that you are both."

Gregor smiled back and was about to respond when he saw Aurora and Ares walk in. He couldn't help but laugh when he saw the huge grin Ares had on his face. Ares' happiness was no doubt due to the fact that Aurora's arm was linked with his. He spotted Gregor and kept his smile, turning Aurora to walk with him towards Gregor and Luxa. Ares looked like he couldn't believe Aurora was with him, and he looked over at her every few seconds, as if making sure she didn't disappear suddenly.

Ares was dressed in an all black suit, his hair slicked back. It looked surprisingly good on him, and it was great contrast to Aurora's outfit. Aurora was wearing a long, flowing gown of gold. The thin scarf she had around her arms went really well with her dress, and it made it look like she had streaks going down her sides. Ares and Aurora looked stunning together.

A moment later, Larry walked in with Angelina. Their arms were linked as well, since they had decided to be the other's date. They had gone as friends, but Gregor could tell Larry wanted to make this count for more. He also had the suspicion that Angelina had accepted to go with Larry to make Gregor jealous. It was pointless, really, and it only succeeded in making him feel bad.

Larry had a black and white tux with shiny black shoes. Angelina, on the other hand, had a dark red dress that had some sort of glitter in the fabric, and it sparkled slightly as she moved. She never looked at anyone in the eyes, and she only greeted the group as a whole as Larry led her towards them.

Despite the shaky reunion, Gregor had a blast. Not once did he sit down. He stayed on the dance floor the entire time, and he ignored the soreness the rented shoes were giving his feet. He was having too much fun to care about it.

Gregor had never really danced before, since dances and dates weren't his thing, but he quickly got the hang of it. Luxa turned out to be just as new to the whole thing as he was, and they learned together. Since they couldn't learn the fancier steps that well, they resorted to dancing in the silliest way possible. He knew it looked weird to the other people, but Luxa was having fun, laughing and spinning away, and he decided he didn't care. Several times, both of them had to stop what they were doing, since they were laughing too hard.

To be fair, everyone switched dancing partners for one song every once in a while. Aurora was the best dancer there, and she quickly instructed Gregor on how to do certain steps while he was with her. She spoke rapidly, making sure he understood, and that way, he could teach Luxa. Ares looked upset to leave Aurora, but he quickly had smile back on his face when Luxa started making him laugh.

When it was his turn to dance with Angelina, Gregor noticed Luxa's expression turn serious. She hadn't said anything about Angelina the entire time, though it was hard not to notice the stares she got. Still, Gregor and Angelina had been friends for a while, and he wanted to be fair to her as well.

Angelina still looked a bit hurt, but she had loosened up a bit when they had all started dancing. Now, she looked happy, and she smiled at Gregor when she heard that the next song would be a slow one. She immediately came in closer, forcing him to put his arms around her. When she put a hand on his chest, Gregor heard Luxa make a sound of frustration in the back of her throat. He turned to her, where she was standing with Larry, but she turned away from him. Frowning, Gregor turned his attention back to Angelina and waited for the song to be over.

When Gregor returned to Luxa, it was obvious that she was _not_ pleased. As soon as he put his arms around her, he noticed that she was stiff. Her arms went around his neck, but they felt rigid and forced. He only smiled at her, though her eyes were cold.

"I don't know if I should be happy or angry that you're jealous," he whispered.

"I am not jealous."

"Then why are you like this?"

She sighed. "She believes she can win you over."

Gregor smiled. "You have better things to worry about. Don't worry about that. Think of other things."

"Like what?" she asked.

Smiling, Gregor brought her chin up with one of his hands and kissed her. Like before, the kiss was effortless, only this time, they didn't have to worry about a crowd interrupting them. Now, they could get lost in the other's lips, forgetting everything else. When they finally parted, it was not by choice. They both gasped for air, smiling at the other when their eyes met once more.

The music slowed again and they pulled each other closer. Luxa closed her eyes and rested her head on Gregor's chest, letting him lead the dance with slow steps that moved them side to side. Everything seemed so peaceful, and Gregor closed his eyes as well, trying to absorb the moment and engrave it into his memory. He hoped things could stay perfect and that life would calm down a bit.

But he had no idea what was coming next…

* * *

**So, now I really want to know what happens. I would guess that Gorger come in or something, maybe with a gun, but I don't know. Maybe Gregor walks Luxa home, and Gorger attacks or something. No way of knowing until the next chapter comes in. So, this story is getting better and better. I wonder how long it will be until Gregor and Luxa become official girlfriend and boyfriend.**

* * *

**Question: What's coming next?**

* * *

**Until next time,**

**-Tytonic**


	15. Chapter 15: Burglary

**Hey guys! I'm back with the next chapter! I had extra fun writing the Gluxa for this one, and I tried really hard to get it right. They might not be totally in character, but it's one of the things you have to sacrifice when writing an AU. **

**I hope you guys like it. I appreciate all the reviews, which are still hilarious. The suggestions for what should happen and the warnings for what shouldn't happen make me laugh, although I'm not sure what the cookie reference means… Anyone care to explain? Anyways, thanks for all the support and feel free to review. You guys are awesome.**

**-Skychip**

* * *

******Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Underland Chronicles, only the characters I make up and the plot itself.**

* * *

**Regalia High**

**Chapter 15: Burglary**

* * *

The music slowed again and they pulled each other closer. Luxa closed her eyes and rested her head on Gregor's chest, letting him lead the dance with slow steps that moved them side to side. Everything seemed so peaceful, and Gregor closed his eyes as well, trying to absorb the moment and engrave it into his memory. He hoped things could stay perfect and that life would calm down a bit.

But he had no idea what was coming next…

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

Gregor collapsed on his bed as soon as he entered his room. Without getting up, he kicked his shoes off and heard them land on the floor. His room had carpet, but it was late and everything was quiet, so the sound they made was pretty loud. He didn't understand just how loud until he heard his mom open the door to his room.

"How was the dance?" she asked from the door. She wore a robe over her nightgown and her eyes looked bloodshot.

"It was great," he replied, lifting his head slightly to look at her. When he saw the exhaustion on her face, he raised an eyebrow. "You haven't gone to sleep?"

His mom shrugged. "Just because you're getting older doesn't mean I don't worry about you."

"Yea, but you still have to work."

"Well, lucky for you, I have the morning off tomorrow. I still have to go to the afternoon job, but I'll be able to sleep in for a bit. Would you like a ride to school in the morning?"

"Yes, please," he said, resisting the urge to groan. He had forgotten there was school the next day.

The dance had been held on Sunday night because of the plays. The school couldn't have a play and the dance on the same night, so they pushed it off to Sunday. Gregor's feet hurt from dancing and jumping around, and he was grateful for the small amount of luck.

"Okay then. I'll see you and the princess at breakfast tomorrow. Goodnight baby," said his mother, turning to leave and shutting the door behind her.

Gregor's heart skipped a beat. Why would Luxa be in the apartment for breakfast tomorrow? And how did Gregor's mom know that he called Luxa a …

Wait, his mom had said princess. Gregor called Luxa a queen. So they weren't talking about the same person.

He exhaled audibly, relieved and a little embarrassed with the misunderstanding. If this is how he felt when he thought about Luxa and his mom in the same room after he and Luxa had kissed, then what would it be like to actually introduce her as his girlfriend?

But then again, Luxa wasn't officially his girlfriend. They were sure acting like they were together, but they hadn't formally established it. After the kiss while they were dancing, he and Luxa had stayed in each other's arms, slowly swaying with the music. No one had interrupted them, and it only made things better.

When the dance had been over, they kissed one last time before they went their separate ways. Larry offered Gregor a ride home, and Luxa left with Aurora. He thought that Larry would bombard him with questions about Luxa, but his friend only talked about how fun the dance had been. Gregor suspected that Larry was happy to know that he was with Luxa, which meant he didn't want to be with Angelina. It was a small factor that raised Larry's chances of being with Angelina, but it was enough to make him smile all the way to Gregor's apartment complex.

Now, still laying down on his bed, Gregor's thoughts went back to what his mother had said. She mentioned a princess. That could only mean his sister. But he would have to wait until morning to find out which sister his mother had been talking about.

Normally, the name princess would be referring to Boots. Ever since the first day he met her, Temp had started calling Boots princess. Gregor didn't know why, and he thought it was a little weird, but he didn't try to stop it. Besides, Boots had fully embraced the title, and she always wore a small pink princess outfit, complete with tiara and lighting scepter, whenever Temp and Tick took care of her. Tick had immediately taken to calling Boots princess as well, and everyone else at home followed their lead.

However, Lizzie was now also a princess. The week before, the chess team became famous when they made it to the state competition for the first time in Regalia High history. The chess team was, of course, led by Lizzie. And no one was surprised when Lizzie made it to the finals and completely dominated the championship game. Everyone at school called her the Princess of Pawns. Lizzie had the amazing ability to control the game by using her pawns, which were expertly placed all over the board in complicated strategies. And just like everyone still called Gregor the warrior, they now called Lizzie the princess.

When morning came, it turned out that Gregor's mom was talking about Lizzie. Since his mom wasn't working in the morning, she had let Boots sleep in, which left only Gregor and Lizzie at the table with their mother.

Gregor ate his breakfast quietly, not really talking much. Although the food was great, it wasn't enough to get him out of a state of exhaustion. His legs still hurt, and he felt his eyes starting to close every few minutes.

Twenty minutes later, Gregor and Lizzie were in the car on their way to school. As they got near, Gregor thought the street looked pretty deserted. There was always a line of cars that stretched out on the road, but that line was gone. When they finally arrived at the school, they discovered why.

The school gates were closed. The huge electric board that announced the school events had a sign that said that school had been cancelled for the day. School had never been cancelled, and it was really strange for the district to close it randomly.

At home, after a few calls, Gregor's mom found out why classes had been called off. Apparently, while most of the students were at the dance and the security had been occupied with making sure everything went smoothly, the school had been broken into.

Many things had been stolen, along with all the money from the bookstore. The bookstore was the small office that sold the yearbooks, and they had quite a bit of money, since yearbooks were pretty expensive. While the police investigated, the school was to remain closed.

Gregor was still too tired to process much of what had happened. All he knew was that there was no school, and there was nothing stopping him from going into his room and falling asleep. He was about to get up when the phone rang. Gregor's mom was still near the phone, and she answered after a few short rings.

"Hello?" he heard his mom say as he stood up from the couch. Gregor glanced over at her, seeing the frown that spread over her eyes. "Oh, right. I remember," she said. He turned away from her to walk to his room, uninterested in the call. Probably one of his mom's old friends. As he walked away, he heard her say, "Yes, he's here." That got him to stop. He turned to look at her as she said, "One moment." Then, his mother held out the phone to him. "It's for you," she said slowly.

Hesitantly, Gregor reached for the phone and put it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Gregor?" came a lovely voice from the other end.

"Hey Luxa," he said, rushing off to his room, but not before he caught the look his mother shared with Lizzie.

"Sorry to be calling you this early, but I was wondering if you knew why the school is closed."

"No, don't be sorry," he said quickly. Gregor didn't want her to feel bad about anything. This was actually really good. Even without school, there was a way for him to hear her voice. He told her the reason the school was closed based on what the district had told his mom.

"Who do you think broke into the school?" she asked.

"I don't know," he admitted. He hadn't given much thought to it. "Who do you think would do something like that?"

"Gorger, of course," she said, though Gregor couldn't tell if she was being serious or not.

There was silence after that, as neither of them said anything. Gregor wasn't sure how to respond to her comment, and he felt the silence starting to get awkward. In truth, if Luxa had only called to ask about the reason school was out, they no longer had a reason to talk. He had answered her question, and it was perfectly fine to end the conversation now. But he didn't want to.

"Please tell me that you are as tired as I am," Luxa said finally with a small laugh.

"If by tired you mean almost falling over, then yes, I'm as tired as you are," he replied, thankful that the silence was over.

Luxa laughed again, making Gregor smile. He loved to hear her laugh.

"I have never had that much fun before," she said.

"Yea, me either."

"If this is a side effect from having fun, then I guess I do not mind being so tired."

"It'd be great if we could do that every few days. Not every day though. We would need some time to recover, because my legs are killing me."

"As are mine."

"Then why don't you take a nap?"

"I cannot. It is rude to sleep while you are a guest. I came to sleep over at Aurora's house, and I cannot just fall asleep at will."

"Well at least you can do something. I don't know what Larry's doing, but I doubt he'll want to hang out. He looked pretty tired last night too."

He thought about saying 'Larry and Angelina,' but decided to leave Angelina's name out. There was no way he was saying her name in his conversation with Luxa. Not with the way Luxa had reacted at the dance. "I'll probably just fall asleep."

"Sleep then. Try and be rested for later," she said slowly.

"Later?"

There was a pause. "My cousin Nerissa will be off early from work today. She will be home early in the evening."

"Okay?" he said, unsure of what she was trying to say.

"And… well…" She took a deep breath before speaking again. "Would you like to come to my house tonight for dinner?"

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

Over the phone, Gregor arranged the details of the evening with Luxa. After he hung up, he walked over to his mom with his fingers crossed to ask permission to go.

After a while of intense questioning, Gregor was able to get his mother to understand that he and Luxa would not be alone in the house. Her older cousin Nerissa would be there, and that was precisely the reason Luxa had chosen that day to invite Gregor to dinner. In the end, his mother gave in, and he excitedly called Luxa back to tell her the good news.

A few hours later, and after a very refreshing nap, Gregor waited anxiously for Luxa to arrive. She was going to get dropped off by Aurora so that they could walk to her house together.

At the sound of the doorbell, Gregor jumped up and ran to the living room. He took a moment to straighten himself out before opening the door. Luxa was visibly tired, but it didn't make her any less beautiful. The matching outfit looked better on her than it did on Aurora, since Gregor was pretty sure those were Aurora's clothes. He remembered seeing Aurora wear that to school once or twice.

Luxa called Nerissa to let her know that she was on her way. Temp and Tick arrived while Luxa was on the phone. They were there to take care of Lizzie and Boots while Gregor was gone, since his mom would leave in a little while for work. After saying bye to his mom, Gregor and Luxa left the apartment.

The walk to her house was better than any other time they had walked there. This time, their conversations were full of excitement, unlike the shy way they spoke to each other before. When Gregor had first started walking Luxa home after their private rehearsals, they talked with awkward pauses, asking anything that popped into their heads, trying to get to know the other person a little better.

Now, it was different. They didn't hold back their laughter, and their looks were full of affection. Gregor enjoyed the way Luxa looked at him, and he felt himself like her just a little more every time she smiled. As they walked, they bumped into each other playfully.

On one of the contacts, his hand touched hers. Gregor hadn't been expecting it, but he took full advantage of it. In one swift movement, he swung his hand over and intertwined his fingers with hers. Luxa looked over at him in surprise, raising her eyebrows and smiling, but she didn't pull her hand back. Instead, she closed her fingers over his more tightly and continued their conversation like nothing had happened.

When they finally got to her house, Gregor let his mouth drop open a bit. Whenever he walked Luxa home, he only watched her as she disappeared into the door. But as he walked through the small stone gate, he looked up to the house for the first time to admire its beauty.

The house was huge, illuminated on the outside with small twinkling lights. It was a dark gray, and if Gregor didn't know any better, he would have thought that the house was made of stone. But it was like a stone he had never seen before. The surface of the outside looked as smooth as glass, although there were a few carvings of intricate shapes that lined the bottom.

The inside, to his surprise, was the exact same way. The walls were painted a stony gray, and the furniture was made of all kinds of different materials, except for wood. In fact, not a single item in the house was made of wood. Hanging on the walls were small candles that served as lights, shining light on beautiful carvings and paintings that decorated the walls.

Luxa led Gregor into the living room, which was bigger than his entire apartment. He noticed that the room seemed bigger than it really was. This was due to the huge painting on the ceiling. It made the living room appear to have no roof, except it wasn't the sky that it opened up to. The painting was just more stone, like if the house was inside some sort of cave. To Gregor, this looked more like a roofless palace than a house.

Seeing him stare around, Luxa got his attention and spoke up.

"Sorry about the color and the decoration. My cousin likes everything old fashioned."

"Don't apologize. This is awesome. It's like you live in a palace," he said with a smile. "Sort of makes sense. Wouldn't you agree, your grace?"

Luxa rolled her eyes and smiled, shoving him playfully. They were still laughing when they noticed a figure in the shadows, watching them. Nerissa was at the door that led to the dining room, patiently waiting for them to finish their conversation.

"Nerissa, do not scare us like that. You could have announced your presence."

"I am sorry, cousin. I did not mean to frighten you. But it is rude to interrupt conversations."

Gregor couldn't help but smile when Nerissa spoke. Now he understood why Luxa spoke so formally. It must have been how she was raised. He had always wondered why Luxa never joined her words. And now, hearing Nerissa speak, he guessed it was something that ran in the family.

Luxa looked over at Gregor quickly before turning her attention back to her cousin. Nerissa also turned to look at Gregor, and he expected her to question him or something. Instead, she greeted him with a warm smile.

"Nerissa, you remember Gregor, right? From the play," said Luxa, since Nerissa showed no signs of wanting to start the conversation.

"Of course. How could I forget such an outstanding performance?" she said with another smile. "I am glad you could join us for dinner." Nerissa raised her hand slightly, gesturing to the next room. "Please, let us go into the dining room. I have spent much time preparing the dishes, and it would be a shame to let them get cold." She turned to leave, silently walking towards the table.

"He's my boyfriend," Luxa blurted out suddenly, perhaps a little too fast.

Gregor wanted to turn and look at Luxa. He was shocked by what she had just said, though his head was spinning with happiness. But Nerissa's reaction was something he needed to see, and he kept his eyes on her. Nerissa had stopped walking, and she stood completely still. As he waited for her to turn around, he felt Luxa's hand grab his, intertwining their fingers. It gave Gregor a bit more courage for what might come, but he still felt a bit uneasy.

Would she be shocked? Angry? Disappointed? He didn't know Nerissa enough to guess how she would react, but he hoped it wasn't too bad.

To his complete and total surprise, Nerissa only turned around and gave them a spooky smile.

"I know."

With that, she turned back to the dining room and walked away.

* * *

**-O-**

* * *

Over the course of dinner, Gregor decided he liked Nerissa. She was a thin woman, her intricate braids tangled and hanging down her face, but she was honest and sincere. He could tell that she was very reserved and quiet. However, it didn't keep her from making interesting conversation with him.

Gregor was grateful that she wasn't just trying to make small talk to keep things from getting awkward. He actually found her to be a fascinating person. He found out that every painting and carving throughout the house was made by her. She was a great artist, and he didn't get bored of hearing the stories she told.

While they were taking a moment to chew some of the delicious food spread out before them, Nerissa looked over at Luxa with a questioning look.

"Luxa, did you leave the door open last night?"

Luxa frowned and shook her head. "No, I did not. I never came home. I spent the night at Aurora's house. Do you not remember?"

Nerissa sighed and closed her eyes. "You are right. How could I forget? It must have been me."

The rest of dinner went just as smoothly as the first half. When they had finished with seconds, Nerissa removed the dishes from the table and washed them in the sink. Gregor thanked her for the food and stood from the table, following Luxa into the living room. Nerissa was there after a short moment, saying that she would be upstairs in her room. After excusing herself, she went up the stairs, leaving Gregor and Luxa alone in the living room.

Gregor took a few steps and threw himself onto the couch, looking up at the ceiling.

"I'm so full!" he said, remembering the food Nerissa had prepared. They had eaten a combination of rice, mushrooms, vegetables, hot soup, pudding, some spicy bread, and shrimp in some kind of cream sauce.

Luxa walked over to him slowly and lifted his head for a bit so she could sit on the couch. Resting his head on her lap, she began to softly run her hands through his hair.

"What did Nerissa mean about the door being open?" he asked after a moment.

Luxa sighed. "I do not know. Nerissa is very smart and I admire her very much, but she becomes confused sometimes."

"Well, confused or not, she can make some pretty awesome artwork."

"Yes, Nerissa is very talented. I cannot believe she did not pursue a career in something related to art."

Gregor got a sudden idea. "Hey, you think we'd be able to get her to apply for the new art teacher position? I heard we'll need a new one next year. The one we have now is retiring."

"Perhaps," she said, nodding slowly. "We would need to arrange a meeting with the principal. And it would help if some of the other teachers gave her their support. Although," she said, pausing for a moment. "I am sure you could arrange that."

Gregor frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," she said. "All I am saying is that you would not have any trouble getting teachers to support your cause."

"Why would the teachers do what I say."

"Because… you have friends there."

"Friends?"

What was she talking about? None of the teachers at school were his friends. Vikus was the only one he considered a friend. Maybe Ripred. But he wouldn't ask them for any favors.

"That is what I said."

"I don't have any teacher friends, Luxa."

"And what of the girl from the dance? Is she not a teacher?"

"Dulcet?" he asked.

Gregor had forgotten all about her. Of course she was his friend. But Luxa hadn't even been at the dance when he had bumped into her. "Someone saw us talking?"

"Yes," she said. "Talking and… embracing."

Gregor reached up to still the hand that was running through his hair and got her attention. Looking up into her eyes and smiling, he asked, "Are you jealous?"

Luxa made a face and tapped his head lightly. "Do not be ridiculous, Gregor. I am not jealous."

"Okay, just checking. I mean, if you were jealous, I would gladly explain my side of the story. But since you're not, I guess I don't have to."

Luxa went back to stroking his head a moment before speaking. "So you are not going to explain?"

Gregor closed his eyes. "Nope."

There was another long silence. "Why not?"

He smiled. "Because you're jealous, and frankly, I'm kind of enjoying it."

She laughed softly and hit his head again. They let a few minutes of quiet pass before Gregor spoke again.

"Did you mean what you said to Nerissa before we ate?"

Luxa immediately turned red and her hands stopped moving. It was a while before she spoke. "Are you angry?"

"No!" he said, sitting up straight and turning to look at her. "I'm not mad. Just surprised. We hadn't really talked about it, is all."

"We had not," she agreed. "But is there really much to talk about?"

"I guess not," he said. "I've honestly never felt so comfortable with anyone like I feel with you."

"I feel the same way," she said, smiling at him. "After my parents died, I thought I would never feel so caring towards another person again."

He wanted to ask about her parents, but decided not to push the conversation. It was the first time Luxa had mentioned her parents, and Gregor never had enough courage to ask her. He guessed it was a touchy subject for her. He decided it would be a conversation for another day.

"So does that mean I'm dating a queen?"

Luxa closed her eyes and laughed. "You are a stupid boy," she said. "I hope you know that."

It was his turn to laugh. It died down when he saw her smile, and he only smiled back at her. Pulling a strand of silvery blonde hair away from her face, Gregor leaned in and kissed her softly, feeling the warmth of her lips against his.

The kiss was cut short by the sudden sound of the doorbell. They both pulled away, turning to look over at the door.

"Are you expecting anyone?" he asked. It was a weird time for a visit, since it was getting pretty late. In fact, he had to go home in a bit.

"No," she answered. "Perhaps Nerissa is."

Luxa stood from the couch and walked gracefully to the door. She opened it cautiously, revealing two police officers in dark uniforms.

"Good evening, miss," said one of the officers.

"Good evening," replied Luxa. "How may I help you?"

"We're here about a robbery," responded the second officer.

"There must be some mistake. We have not been robbed."

"No, we're here to search the house for some stolen property."

"We have not stolen anything," she said, a bit confused. "You cannot search if we have done no wrong."

"We've got a search warrant, miss," said the first officer, pulling an envelope from his jacket and showing it to her.

"Let them in," said a voice from behind Gregor, who had walked over to stand beside Luxa at the door. They turned to see Nerissa standing there, a questioning look on her face. "We have nothing to hide."

Both officers nodded and entered the house. They quickly walked through every room, opening cabinets and drawers as they went along. When they were done with the first floor, they moved on to the rooms upstairs.

A moment later, one of the officers came back down alone.

"Who's room is on the far left?"

"That is my room," said Luxa hesitantly.

As if on cue, the second officer came back down with several things in his hands. He was wearing blue gloves, similar to the kind that doctors used, and he was holding a few bags. The were all clear plastic bags with zippers. One of them held a stack of money, while the others held metal and plastic parts of something.

"The money from the bookstore and a few parts from some of the stolen computers," he said, holding the bags up.

Turning his attention back to Luxa, the first officer walked over to her and turned her around, pulling her arms back roughly and locking them together with handcuffs.

The officer's next words nearly made Gregor faint. His head felt light, and his vision lost its focus, but the words were clear as day.

"You are under arrest for the burglary of Regalia High School."

* * *

**My question is how did the police get the warrant? As far as I can see, there is no evidence pointing towards Luxa. I am extremely eager to see what happens next. I think Luxa will be found innocent fairly easily, since she has multiple people who were with her, and she was accounted for the entire night. Plus, the school has cameras, right? So they shouldn't be able to find proof of her stealing the money. If she mentions the grudge Gorger has against her, it would be reasonable for it to be a framing. So yeah, I don't think she is going to get into any real trouble. This is getting very interesting now. It's like a mystery for us to figure out, albeit it's not a very difficult one. Just keep in mind that Henry is still a character. **

* * *

**Question: How did the money get in Luxa's room? It's a very easy question, so I want details people! Kind of sucks that I can't answer it myself right here. I am 90% that my guess is correct! but it's also a long one with lots of details. If I put it here, a lot of you would see it and just guess the same thing.**

* * *

**Until next time,**

**-Tytonic**


End file.
